


Waltz No. 14 in E Minor Op. Posth*

by ibreathethroughwords



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Angst, Ballroom dance, Drug Use During Interrogation, Exploring New Kinks, Fake Marriage, Falling In Love, Fucking With Legends Material, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Invented Culture, Liberties Taken With Canon Material, M/M, Mandalorian Culture, Plot involving slavery and sex-trafficking, Post-Episode: s03e21-22 Zero Hour, Safe Sane and Consensual, THRAWN NOVEL SPOILERS, spy tropes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-10-25 16:02:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 99,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10767645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibreathethroughwords/pseuds/ibreathethroughwords
Summary: "You're not the same person you were the day before you became Fulcrum," Fenn stated sternly."Monsters don't stop being monsters."Fenn raised an eyebrow. "Are you still committing genocide? Arresting innocent citizens to preserve the Empire's version of peace? Oppressing alien races and upholding the New Order?"Kallus scoffed. "Of course not!""Then does it not follow that there's no logical way you could possibly be a monster?"This story is DISCONTINUED due to a necessary rewrite that adds in the POV of other characters. This fic will be left up. Check this space to see when the revised fic has been posted (I will link here), or followibreathethroughwordson tumblr to get the latest news on the rewrite.For G to Teen rated one-shots/side stories that can be read as stand-alones, check outQuick Step. For Mature and Explicit rated side stories that are NOT stand-alones, readTango.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wedge scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as Kallus made two quick notes on his datapad. He thought for a moment, then came to a decision. "Kanan and Ezra can pose easily enough as our bodyguards. You work quite seamlessly together and shouldn't have any issue communicating through the Force to keep everyone safe if it becomes a necessity. Sabine and Wedge will pose as siblings. You're close enough in age, and with the right disguises it should work. Rau - "
> 
> "Your husband?"
> 
> Kallus gave him a slightly nervous smile. "Yes."
> 
> The man nodded. "It's a sound plan."
> 
> "Good. Let's get to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *[Watch this cute child play the song that is the title.](https://youtu.be/Ei3a79rur00)
> 
> Also a massive, MASSIVE thanks to my wife. She's read this four times now _in its entirety_ which is 40 fucking pages according to my iPad. pyro_turk has also reread smaller sections for me numerous times. Don't worry guys: I'm gonna get her favorite food for this. She earned it. What a trooper!
> 
> Of equal importance: **THIS FIC HAS SPOILERS FOR THE THRAWN NOVEL** , and through Zero Hour. If any of you bitch that you were spoiled by it your name will go in the summary and you will be mocked.
> 
>  **Edit 7/20:** Added/deleted sentences, changed sentences, continuity errors were fixed (Rau's clothing situation), minor formatting errors, some typos. Edit applies to this chapter only.

When the mission brief had been sent to Kallus he'd thought at first it was some sort of a weird hazing ritual. He'd been sitting with the rest of the Spectres, half-listening to Zeb and Ezra threaten the C1-10P unit while Chopper mocked them both and the rest of them plus Fenn Rau and Rex ignored the three of them. Kallus had claimed a crate in the shade of the Ghost to sit and ignore the chaos, and had taken the delivered datacard without a second thought from the Intelligence droid. Everyone's eyes were on him, of course, because the horrifically sad or weird missions went through him, and the urgent, terrifying ones through Hera, or so Sabine and Ezra claimed.

Whatever was in the brief he'd just been given would of interest to them, or so they thought.

Kallus kept a straight face as he began to read the brief marked, noticed it was marked both as high priority and top secret. Whatever it was, this was not up for discussion outside of special, secured areas. Maybe it would be an interesting mission.

For months now, there had been reports of a large group of enslaved lasats being transported through the Inner Rim, bounced around from loyalist stronghold to loyalist stronghold. Rebel Intelligence had been after any kind of solid lead on them for ages: Kallus already knew that. He'd been after information on them since his and Zeb's conversation on Bahryn and had no luck at all, even with access to his own resources, and the unguarded code cylinders of Admiral Konstantine. Many times during his discreet inquiries into the topic he'd run across other Rebel informants. Good as he was at keeping his sabacc face on at all times, coming across the reminder unexpectedly made his jaw clench and his fingers tighten on the datapad.

As if he didn't already have everyone's eyes on him just by virtue of potentially having a mission brief in front of him.

Zeb, Ezra, and Chopper had stopped fighting to watch him read, however, so at least something good had come of it, even if it made him uncomfortable. Zeb was watching him intently. By virtue of being his only - and therefore, best - friend, knew all his tells, and sometimes what went with which godawful memory. Hopefully, he'd have the sense to keep his mouth shut, even if he didn't have the sense to behave like the adult he was around teenagers and evil droids. Kallus glanced up at Zeb to catch his eye, ignored the way Hera and Rau were watching them from where he was helping her tinker with her ship. The pair of them were too damn observant for their own good. A soft sigh escaped him as Zeb raised an eyebrow: silently asking Kallus if he was okay, did he need to go inside, did he need be to alone? Kallus minutely shook his head, and gave Zeb the look that meant he just wanted the lasat to keep his mouth shut.

He knew what Zeb thought of that without the face he was making. Kallus emphatically did not want to talk about it and would not if he could. A glance down at the datapad and another small shake of his head got that point across. The lasat made a face at him, so Kallus arched both eyebrows to ask if Zeb was going to behave or not. They stared each other down, Zeb eventually acquiescing, and Kallus gave him a small smile of gratitude.

It was much easier to continue to read knowing Zeb wasn't going to rat out whatever classified information might be in the brief because he knew how tense Kallus became any time Lasan or its endangered people were mentioned. The information was on an Imperial-held world - of course, why should his life ever be easy for a change - called Denon1. It was a human world in the Inner Rim, and - like Coruscant - was an ecumenopolis2. Kallus had never been to that planet, but read over over the information in the brief. It had a similar class system to Coruscant, even among the human citizens. Losing themselves as a group on Denon would be nigh impossible: humans did not socialize with non-humans,3 as the laws there were incredibly strict. Split up into human and non-human teams, however, it wouldn't be too difficult.

The mission objectives themselves were rather simple: find and extract their target for questioning regarding the Empire's slave trade of lasats in the region. How Rebel High Command expected them to accomplish those two objectives was comparatively insane. The group's non-humans would be monitoring the humans via various bits of technology the rebellion's new technical team had assembled and would provide. Wearing whatever had been cobbled together for them, the humans would infiltrate several Ascension Week parties as visiting dignitaries and their bodyguards to establish legitimate identities before befriending and kidnapping the target. They would then somehow sneak the target out, off world, and to a safe place so Kallus - the only properly trained interrogator in the group - could question him for whatever information he could get.

If he thought the information was enough to immediately act on, they would proceed from there with the prisoner neutralized. The brief did not explain what "neutralized" mean in this situation. If not, Kallus had the authority to place their target under arrest and transport him to the nearest rebel detention center.

His eyebrows had climbed as close to his hairline as they could possibly go by the time he'd finished reading the brief. The target wasn't even identified. All ships leaving Denon had to be inspected before leaving the planet, and the Alliance had no ships assigned to Yavin IV that would allow them to hide a target from inspectors or scanners.

High Command or his fellow Intelligence Operatives were having him on, he thought. Kallus squinted at the datapad, suspicion written all over his face. Abruptly, he stood.

"Where are you going?" Sabine asked, looking up from she was cleaning her blasters.

"I need to find General Draven," Kallus said, pulling his uniform jacket on as he walked toward the temple.

Ezra sat up from where he'd been stretched out in such a way that he could semi-inconspicuously check out Sabine's buttocks; at least, he thought he could. She was probably the only person that hadn't caught on yet. The adults were all clued in. "Do we have a mission?"

Kallus shrugged and kept walking. "Possibly. I'm not entirely sure this wasn't sent to me as a joke." He needed clarification and if so, well… there was a lot they would need before this could be attempted. The only other member of the _Ghost_ that had anywhere near the polish for this mission was Hera - possibly Fenn Rau, though Kallus didn't know the man well - and she would not be accompanying them into any parties.

\---

No one in the Command Center looked surprised to see Kallus. No one in the portion of it that was segregated as Intelligence's section looked surprised either: two of his superior officers exchanged credits when they saw him, and an ensign slipped off to go find the General. "I take it you got the datacard," one of the colonels said, giving him a sympathetic look.

Kallus leveled a glare at him. "I did. Sir." Oh, he'd gotten the datacard.

"I promise it's a legitimate mission," said the other one as they waited.

The glare turned to a scowl. "You might be surprised to know how discomforting that is to hear." They both laughed.

"We had to put that together," said the first one, "I think we spent five minutes laughing before the General came in and gave us a dressing down for not getting to work on it right away."

"Captain Kallus," said a voice from behind.

All three of them turned and came to attention: long years in Imperial service being drilled on attention, parade rest, at ease, falling out, and every one little movement one could do in and out of formation, every bit of protocol used to address ones superiors and peers, to conduct the business of the Empire, could not simply be cast aside. Draven had never judged them on that. "At ease," he ordered instead. Kallus stood with his right foot planted and his hands - and the datapad behind his back. "Captain, you've read the brief?" His blue eyes flicked to the colonels standing next to him. One of them coughed.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. With me." General Draven brushed passed the others, and Kallus turned and fell into step behind and slightly to the right of him as they stepped into his office. The door snapped shut behind him, and Draven gestured for him to sit. Kallus obeyed once Draven had, glad he'd already been ordered at ease: sitting at attention sometimes made his thigh ache where the femur had been broken once already.

The general reached over to a button on his desk to activate a barrier that would stop sound inside from getting out. "Lieutenant Andor will have your target's name for us within a day or two. He checked in two standard hours ago and had only just reached Denon. I imagine you're here because you know it will take longer to prepare your crew than High Command wants to give you."

Sometimes Kallus forgot that his fellow Intelligence operatives were more sane than they acted. "Yes, sir."

"I understand. Ideally, you'd be able to send Captain Syndulla in, but this situation makes that impossible. Denon heavily favors same-sex couplings, if that helps. I'm authorizing you to take up to five other humans with you to the parties."

"Intelligence operatives?"

Draven shook his head. "We're stretched thin as it is. Some will be there to monitor your progress and as security for the operation. Lieutenant Andor is getting them in place now. Unfortunately, Captain, you'll have to make due with the Spectres and anyone else you think might be helpful from other units as far as carrying out the kidnapping goes."

Kallus pursed his lips together as he considered his options. "Given that we're all well-known and wanted criminals by the Empire, I assume you've got disguises for us?"

"Yes. You may select them, as well as your exact cover stories. The IOs4 shadowing you will help keep the non-human members of your team hidden so they can monitor you."

That made it easier. He was leaving Rex with Hera. The faces of the clone troopers were too well-known, especially the closer one came to the Core Worlds. "Rex will stay with Hera and Zeb to monitor communications and equipment," he decided. "I want Fenn Rau and Wedge Antilles."

"You'll have them," Draven promised. "Call your crew to the uniform supply room. One of the colonels will take you there for you to get them set up. The humans will need appropriate party wear for seven or eight different parties, plus day clothes for the appropriate class. Don't let the others wear anything easily identifiable as theirs. I assume you've got some idea of which members of the crew you're assigning to what role."

Kallus nodded. Now that he knew what kind of support he had, his mind was racing to find the best solution. It wasn't an idea mission - hell, no mission with the rebellion ever was - but he'd become quite skilled at making them as painless as possible. "Yes, general. I think I've got a rough idea. The problem is that on Denon, dancing is a big deal, and I'm fairly certain that's going to be an issue."

"How can I help?"

There were options. He could ask Draven to find someone qualified to instruct, or Kallus could just do it himself. It wasn't as though he didn't know. "Let me find out what they know or don't know, and I'll get back to you. Do we have anyone who is a cultural expert on Denon that I can borrow off and on until we leave?"

Draven considered, leaning back in his chair as he contemplated the question. "We may. I'll ask around. Senator Mon Mothma would know better than I would, and she won't be back until later tonight. I can check with her then. For now, here's a revised task list…"

\---

**[Preparation Objective One: Obtain Disguises for Ghost Crew]**

Kallus called them to the uniform supply room via comlink without telling any of his crew mates what was going on as he and the colonel walked up several flights of stairs. The supply master was waiting for the pair of them and handed his keys over without question. He helpfully showed them to what they were asking for, and then vanished when ordered. Quite painfully, he reminded Kallus of Yogar Lyste. Framing the young lieutenant had been a necessity, but it didn't mean he'd particularly wanted to do it. Lyste had looked up to him, had always been honest, and enthusiastic in his duties. They'd worked well together.

It was another life he'd ruined in the course of his duties, but the first one he'd destroyed in his duties to the Alliance.

Giving himself a mental shake and rebuke, the former ISB agent sternly told himself to focus before the others joined him. The last time he'd been reminiscing over his time with the Empire - and feeling sadness about it - when the Jedi came across him he'd been put right back at square one with the _Ghost's_ crew. Even Zeb had been distrustful and distant for nearly a month, and that had hurt for reasons upon which Kallus refused to let himself dwell. He'd still not fully recovered from that incident with them, though the wider rebellion didn't seem to care about his private recollections and grief so long as he did his job and did it well.

Only his self-proclaimed new "family" would push him back from time to time. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he'd let them that close - or they him - to begin with, given their shared history and his past actions toward them.

A deep breath helped him clear his mind, and just in time. The group approached with Rau and Antilles in tow. The colonel - Colonel Vandyke, he was pretty sure - offered to stand guard outside the door so Kallus could give them a partial brief with no risk of interruption, and passed him one of the devices they used in Intelligence briefings to prevent others from overhearing. Honestly, he wasn't sure he would give them even that much, but he had to note who was taking what for the supply master and for Intelligence's records, and he nodded and thanked the colonel.

They'd swept the room when they arrived for stragglers, and none were present. Pulling out a sound-dampening device that the colonel had passed off to him, Kallus gathered the group into an area where their lips couldn't be easily read and surveillance wouldn't easily see them, before he activated the device. "Don't," he said sternly when three of them opened their mouths to ask questions at the same time. "You will not get your full briefing until we are in hyperspace several days from now. That is not up for discussion. That you are going on this mission is not up for discussion. The training you receiving prior to departing for this mission cannot even be mentioned, nor can the items you select in here."

Silence met his declaration. Wedge, Zeb, Hera, Kanan, and Rex took it in stride, and seemed interested. Rau, Sabine, and Ezra seemed on edge and distrustful. "I know I'm asking a lot when I ask you to trust me," he said quietly, meeting Ezra's eyes in particular, "but I am doing my job. I'll tell you what you need to know. This is a… weird one."

That seemed to relax Sabine, and when she relaxed, Rau relaxed. She was the one who'd pointed out that the missions that came through Intelligence instead of Naval Command were either horrifically sad, or really weird. "Okay," she said, leaning forward with interest. "What do we need to know?"

"We'll all be in disguises this time, seven to eight days' worth. Unfortunately, we will also have to split up - no, Ezra, hush - and I will explain why when we are en route. This is an undercover mission."

He told them they'd be playing a class role, and that he'd have to pick them based on a specific cultural criterion of the world they were infiltrating. To avoid having to explain that - the confused stares he was getting were becoming rather hateful since mentioning they'd have to split up and mentioning class hadn't helped - he added that the mission requirements were somewhat flexible, depending on the matched criteria. Even Zeb was giving him a suspicious look. Kallus gritted his teeth, reminded of how tenuous his "friendships" here still were, even after two months of debriefing and running several successful missions with all of them.

Privately, he wanted to snap at them to stop looking at him like that, but he knew he had no right to do so. Kallus swallowed the hurt, concealed his feelings from the Jedi as best he could, and plowed on.

"Sabine, Kanan, Ezra, Rau, Wedge: I need to know if any of you can dance."

"The hell?" Zeb responded for them all after a moment. Kallus raised an eyebrow at him as if to say, 'You heard me," and the lasat quieted.

Wedge shifted a little in his seat. "What do you mean by 'dance'? Formal ballroom, or clubbing?"

Kallus nodded at him, approving of the question. "Formal ballroom. Any type of traditional, human, formal ballroom dancing ability is what Intelligence is looking for. If none of you can, I will dismiss you and seek other operatives."

"Then why did it come to us?" Ezra asked.

"This mission would best be handled by a group posing as a minor diplomat and his or her family and bodyguards. They gave it to us because I was dumb enough to tell them in my debriefing that I've been to dozens of formal balls," Kallus replied patiently. "I'm currently the only member of Rebel Intelligence who has any experience with ballroom dance, let alone the level of social etiquette needed to survive or thrive in that atmosphere."

"Oh." The poor padawan looked taken aback. "I… didn't know Imperials had time for that."

Kallus just looked at him. He wasn't going to clarify where he had learned or why. It wasn't anyone's business. "Are any of you going to answer my question?"

"I can dance a little," Sabine answered, albeit a little shyly. It was unusual on the young woman. "My mom taught me when I was younger, but I wasn't very good at it."

"I had to learn it as well," Rau said. "I'm a bit rusty, but I imagine I could pick it up again quickly."

That was good. Ezra and Kanan both shook their heads, and Kallus glanced at Wedge. "We had to learn at the Academy, but I have two left feet."

Kallus snorted a little in amusement. "You're growing. It happens."

Wedge scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as Kallus made two quick notes on his datapad. He thought for a moment, then came to a decision. "Kanan and Ezra can pose easily enough as our bodyguards. You work quite seamlessly together and shouldn't have any issue communicating through the Force to keep everyone safe if it becomes a necessity. Sabine and Wedge will pose as siblings. You're close enough in age, and with the right disguises it should work. Rau - "

"Your husband?"

Kallus gave him a slightly nervous smile. "Yes."

The man nodded. "It's a sound plan."

"Good. Let's get to work."

\---

Hera and Rex had way too much fun discussing hair color with Sabine as they gestured at the men, and the rest had started looking through the clothing and discussing culture. "What exactly should a bodyguard wear?" Ezra asked, frowning.

Kallus consulted his datapad and then locked it again before the young Jedi could sneak a peek at the rest of the information. "There are options. I think it would be best if we went with something that covered Kanan's eyes. Yours as well, but something you could see through. Even with your hair short, every stormtrooper in the Empire likely knows your face."

"Do you have a cover story for us yet?" Rau asked, coming over to join them with Kanan.

"No. Once we're done here I'll head down and give that information to the slicers so our IDs and back-trail can be created. We can choose where we're from, within reason."

There was quiet for a few minutes from the gathered men, each of them lost in their thoughts. Zeb spoke right before Kallus, but as their eyes met, he suspected they'd reached the same conclusion. "Grizmallt,5" the lasat said. "A planet-wide city has more dignitaries than they know what to do with, and they have that weird monk-warrior class that always has their eyes covered with those shrouds.6"

"And they act as bodyguards to the dignitaries that support the order," Kallus murmured, nodding along with Zeb. "Do they have anything against a marriage of two males?" he asked. Some religious orders got weird about stuff like that. Better safe than sorry.

"No idea."

Well then. Kallus pulled the datapad back out, and sat down to do a search for that on the Holonet. Zeb sat down close behind him to read over his shoulder, the hot breath on his neck making him shiver despite the warmth of the humid jungle air in the temple. On his left sat Rau, pressing close to read as well as Kallus skimmed the results. They wanted to be certain, the group decided after the first result, so Kallus checked multiple different sources, and came up with the same answer every time.

They weren't one of the weird religious orders. Kallus sighed in relief and slumped back against Zeb a little. His friend took his weight as the former agent locked the datapad. "Monks it is then," he declared. "You'll need to find the gray robes, Jabba, and black pants, shirts, boots, and gloves. Uniform and Supply can handle the embroidering that needs doing before we leave so long as you find what fits.

Ezra muttered an acknowledgment, and Wedge helped him look for all of it in the right sizes. While the boys looked, he turned his head to Rau and gave him a small smile. "Well, darling," Rau greeted him, "I suppose we have ourselves to worry about before the kids."

"It would seem so," Kallus responded. "There's a lot we'll have to tackle."

"We should look into the marriage practices there," Rau suggested slightly too innocently. Was he coming onto him? Kallus shrugged it off. He would have to adjust to Rau's presence at his side, though being flirted with made him tense up.

Likely sensing the tension, Zeb rested a hand on Kallus's right hip. Grateful for the comfort, he shifted the datapad to his right hand and reached over with his left to place his hand over the lasat's. "That's a good idea," he responded, keying for a new search. "We'd best practice the behaviors as well. Any slip ups in a crowd of diplomats and cultural experts could get us caught out as frauds."

"Good idea," Rau replied, leaning closer still, his thigh brushing against Kallus's. "I don't fancy being executed." They read through the cultural information together, and Kallus didn’t protest when Zeb rested his chin on his shoulder. It was easy enough to shift the datapad back to the other hand so he could reach up to scratch behind the lasat's ears: it seemed like the sort of easy, reassuring touch they both could use right now. When he exhaled a soft sigh against Kallus's neck and relaxed, the human smiled softly down at the datapad. Zeb could pretend to be tough as nails all he wanted, but Kallus knew better. Moments like this happened somewhat more often between them now, and quite frequently not only in their shared quarters. The lasat now occasionally sought affection in front of the crew, and Kallus was slowly becoming okay with showing it.

Their friendship was a work in progress.

Much like his fake marriage to Rau would have to be. Kallus was going to have to endure quite a lot of physical contact in front of hostiles, in front of teenagers, and in front of Kanan, while the surveillance team watched and listened, according to the search results. The list was… detailed. And long.

Oh Maker, was the list long.

A closer look revealed the list contained expectations for the pair of them, not only one or the other, so Kallus thought that was a win. As the submissive partner, the list of rules was shorter for him, but they were extremely strict. His fake husband had a longer list of marital duties to fulfill. In choosing to take the dominating role, Rau would have to take the mindset of accepting that it was sacred duty to provide for his husband and their family, to tend to all of his husband's physical and spiritual needs, and to be sure the children received their religious schooling from the monks.

Zeb stopped them there, sleepy, but still paying attention to the conversation. "Don't take my word for it, but I think I read somewhere that the bodyguards who travel with the families are the ones that teach the kids."

"Then we can leave the kids with Kanan if we have to," Rau said from Kallus's side. He'd leaned in closer and hadn't pulled away. If Kallus had to hazard a guess, it would be that Rau was attempting to get used to being inside that bubble. The Mandalorian's eyes were still skimming the list. "We're going to have to be attached at the hip, aren't we? Looks like I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight if unattached doms are present."

Kallus made a noise of acknowledgment, still reading. "I'm not supposed to want to leave your side, though. According to this I'm to be hanging off you’re arm when I'm not tending to the children or doing something to, ah, 'serve' you more directly?" Kallus raised an eyebrow, perplexed by what that meant, until Zeb snorted into the skin of his neck.

"Unless you're already on your back or knees for him, Kal," he half-chuckled, taking advantage of the chance to make Kallus blush, because Zeb was an asshole who was fascinated by how red someone so pale could get from embarrassment. "You know, taking advantage of leaving the kids with Kanan."

Oh. _Oh._ "Oh," he said, blinking down at the datapad. Zeb wasn't getting anymore ear rubs from him today, so Kallus dropped his arm, blushing. The lasat reached up to pat his bicep comfortingly.

"Well, the next line down _does_ say he's supposed to obey any order given by his husband immediately and without question," Rau teased. Zeb outright laughed at that.

"There's a list of commands and positions for him to know too," the lasat pointed out with a smirk.

Rau patted his knee, not too mean-spiritedly. "Kal, you blush all the way down to your collar. We'll have to make sure your formal attire doesn't show how far down that goes."

"Oh, it goes lower," Zeb said, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial tone.

"Shut the fuck up, you two," Kallus suggested unkindly, and hid his face with the datapad.  
\---

**[Preparation Objective Two: Dance Lessons]**

To satisfy some of the cultural lessons that needed to happen away from prying eyes, Draven put them on a small, empty cargo shuttle and sent them into orbit. The hold had enough room for Kallus and Rau to hopefully teach Sabine and Wedge a couple of basic steps to get through the week. Only the four of them were required, so naturally the entire crew plus Rex and the droids were shirking their duties to watch. Sabine, Rau, and Wedge were wearing assorted bits and bobs of their disguises: Wedge had a belt that tied and kind of dangled at his waist, Rau had on one of the mantle he'd be wearing to parties as well as lifts in his boots to even out the minor height difference between them, and he, Rau, and Hera had bullied Sabine into putting a long skirt on over her clothes and wearing heels instead of boots. They had to get used to moving in things they weren't used to wearing.

Kallus had tailored his disguise so that none of it was too different from anything he had worn before for this sort of function.

The night before this godawful lesson was to begin, he and Rau had met in Rau's quarters to discuss how they wanted to approach this. Eventually, they had settled on picking two basic dances Wedge and Sabine absolutely needed to know. They would demonstrate both, and let them choose which they learned first. Another thing they had spent a couple of hours on last night was practicing for themselves: both the dancing and pretending to be a couple. Kallus was still getting used to letting Rau touch him freely and openly, as both men were generally reserved with their physical affections. A lot of time had been spent sitting and discussing which touches were fine and which were not.

Physical intimacy had always been weird to Kallus. Sitting on another man's bed, fully clothed - minus his uniform jacket, Yavin IV was too hot to keep that on for long in private - simply drawing his hands up and down someone else's hands, arms, neck, and face, had been downright alien to him. That nothing more intimate had been involved had increased the bizarreness tenfold. He'd not easily been able to maintain eye contact, but at least Rau had respected that and not forced it.

Eventually, Rau had taken charge, had set Kallus's hands in his lap, had tilted his head up to look into his eyes. The slightest shadow of a smile had been his reward for that, and Kallus relaxed a little, then a bit more as Rau ran a hand through his hair, nails dragging lightly on the scalp. Instead of being intimidating or violating, as he had feared, the Mandalorian's touch was gentle. His hands touched Kallus symmetrically, fingers tracing over his scalp and neck, then his collarbone and shoulders, and down his arms to the fingertips. By the time he slid his palms back up to Kallus's shoulders (after thoroughly exploring his hands and wrists), the ex-agent was positive his pupils were blown wide. There was no missing the effect this was having on him. Gentle caresses simply hadn't been part of his life before - even his sex life.

It was pleasurable in a way he'd not ever known.

Rau slid in place behind him on the bed to touch his neck and back, stroke over his sides, and back down his arms again. Kallus did his best not to lean into it, to hold himself still and firm, but he'd never been so relaxed. It was dangerous to let down his guard like this around anyone, but he so badly wanted to.

"Relax," Rau had murmured, and tugged Kallus back against his torso.

They rested together for a short while, Kallus reminding himself that this was fine, the rebellion wasn't the Empire, and allowed himself to marvel at the feeling of having his hair played with. Rau rested his other hand on Kallus's sternum, and after a while, the younger man forced himself to touch it, to examine the hand and the callouses on it from the years spent wielding weapons and waging war.

It hadn't been until Rau shifted to get Kallus, half-asleep and not really wanting to do anything else that night, to move so they could accomplish all their goals that Kallus realized he wasn't the only one who had been hard.

He was badly hoping it didn't happen again in front of the rest of the group, though he'd worn a longer tunic just in case. Every time he had physical contact with Rau, when he had returned from being with Rau last night, and while preparing for this meeting, Zeb had been far more of a grouch than usual and he was driving Kallus crazy: an unexpected and obvious erection would only add fuel to the fire. As he and Rau moved to embrace each other in the center of the room - in the proper position, of course - Zeb huffed and looked away. Kallus frowned, remembering the greeting from last night. Zeb had sniffed him once and been a pain to handle until Kallus had showered, jacked off, and come to bed.

"Are you and Zeb fighting?" Rau asked quietly as he directed them through a series of box steps for the waltz.7

"I don't know," Kallus answered, keeping his voice low, and his eyes on his partner. "He wasn't happy with the way I smelled when I returned to our quarters last night. We argued. I stormed off to shower. We argued again."

The other redhead sighed quietly - the sort of exhale that he only noticed because he was in the Mandalorian's arms, not one he heard - and guided Kallus into an underarm turn before pulling him into the closed position again. "I have a hypothesis, and I'm going to ask you a somewhat personal question. Did you finish yourself off in the shower after that argument?"

His bright red cheeks were surely an answer to that. "Our activities last night had me more worked up than I expected from something so simple. My body hardly gave me a choice."

Rau nodded, and seemed as though he'd expected it. Kallus did his best not to wonder if Rau'd had to do the same, especially when his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. "Interesting. He's been unusually hostile to me today. I believe you may need to corner him later and ask him exactly what it is he that he's upset about. Perhaps the shower did not eliminate the smell enough for his nose."

_Oh!_ Kallus's eyes widened slightly, and his brain temporarily lost control of his jaw as it dropped. He was quite glad that he was not leading the dance, and had only to follow Rau's non-verbal commands around the ship's hold. A quick glance up at Zeb, glaring daggers at Rau from a corner, confirmed it.

"Oh hell, does he have a thing for me?" he murmured. Not that it was a bad thing for Zeb to have a thing for him, but the timing of figuring it out was flat-out awful.

Rau cracked a small grin. "It's either that, or he thinks I'm going to horribly break your heart. He's more protective of you at times than Kanan and Hera are over the kids. What's to be done about that before we leave? I can't stop touching you, obviously, because you keep jumping when I do it and need to get used to it. There's too much to learn as well, between the positions and hand-signals and everything else."

Kallus sighed. "I'll talk to him when we take a break," he promised. It wasn't ideal, but it hit him that this was probably worrying Zeb quite a bit to have to watch. No wonder the lasat had been so damn clingy and testy the last two days.

Another non-verbal cue was given to him, this time from the hand on his shoulder blade. It was little effort to turn the way Rau wanted him to, and to move back with the progressive steps away from their audience so they could whisper as they pleased. As they moved away, he heard Wedge mutter, "I am going to trip and _die_ ," to Ezra. Kallus smiled a little at that, and then blinked in surprise at the intensity of Rau's eyes on his face.

"That's a good idea. I don't fancy being pulled apart limb by limb today," he replied softly

"Yes, I think it would be best if that didn't happen," Kallus said with a snort as the short song drew to a stop. Rau was still looking at him oddly. Kallus let their hands drop for a moment, but the Mandalorian didn't release him.

There was silence as Hera switched the music. "What's the other one?" Rau asked, seemingly caught up in looking at Kallus's freckles.

Kallus looked at him curiously, watching as Rau seemed to realize what he was doing and snap himself out of it. "Foxtrot."

"Ah. Yes. I remember. You bitched for half an hour about me picking this."

Was Rau going to needle him the entire time? Kallus supposed he could be a widow. Surely the galaxy could forgive him for that crime. "Oh, just shut up and get us through this dance."

\---

It took Sabine and Wedge ages to master the box step for the waltz. Only after he'd split them up and put Wedge with Rau and Sabine with himself had the boy's clumsiness come under control. Ezra wasn't glaring daggers at Wedge anymore either, so that had helped, he thought. Now it was nearing lunch time, and everybody else had gathered together to eat, except Zeb. They wouldn't be disturbed for a good long while, so now was the perfect time to find him and have a potentially uncomfortable conversation.

He found Zeb on an observation deck, leaning up against the viewport and looking down at the moon. For today, at least, they were in a geosynchronous orbit with the temple, so all they could see was the rich green of the forest canopy, as far as the eye could see. If there were oceans on Yavin IV, Kallus had no idea. They would be buried under the forest floor.

"Zeb," he greeted quietly, coming up and leaning on the transparisteel next to him. "I've been looking for you."

The lasat rolled his eyes and looked away. "Yeah? Why don't you go look for Rau? You two seem pretty cozy together all of a sudden."

It was probably worry, he told himself.

Kallus put a hand on Zeb's bicep and forced honesty onto his face. "Because he's not the one who needs me right now. You're being completely ridiculous about this and I want to know why."

If nothing else, it got him an eyebrow raise and Zeb's attention. Sensing it was safe to step forward, he slid his hand further up the soft coat of Zeb's fur. "He asked me if you were going to tear him limb from limb. Are you?"

Zeb muttered something under his breath and tried to move away. Kallus latched on with his other arm. "Stop that, and just tell me what's going on with you over this."

Zeb froze, sighed, but didn't turn around. "I don't like this covert stuff to begin with. Sending the six of you in like this, and you in such a vulnerable state with him just feels bad to me."

Kallus stepped forward and pressed a hand to Zeb's shoulder to give the lasat the physical contact he'd been craving so much lately and left the other still on his bicep. "I grew up with a very similar crowd of social vultures, Zeb. They will be looking to pick apart every little flaw, any tiny difference that doesn't match up with what ought to be happening based on who we say we are and where we say we're from. The smallest little slip up could get all six of us killed. I don't like the vulnerability either, but there's only way to prepare for that. This mission is extremely important to me, and I can't tell you why yet, but you'll understand when I give you all the full brief.

"This mission… it's not going to be easy on any of us. I'm barely comfortable _here_ , and being in the Empire so long left me touch-starved and incredibly unsure how to safely correct that," he admitted. It's what the medics had said, and it was the only reason he had attempted to become fine with one person touching him. "It's difficult to adjust to someone touching me that intimately, but I don't entirely dislike it, Zeb. He's careful with me, we've thoroughly discussed boundaries, and he's respected them thus far. Perhaps it's selfish of me to ask it of you, but I need you to trust me: not just with the mission, but with myself. I'm pushing forty, Zeb, I can handle the advances of a grown man."

A soft, irritated sigh was his only warning to step back before Zeb turned around. Glad he was tall for a human, Kallus tipped his head up a little, looking into the lasat's eyes. Zeb's ears were flat, and he looked embarrassed. "All right," he relented, absolutely full of reluctance. "I get it, I do, but having you come back to our room smelling like him, all aroused and messed up like that… Kal, I can't deal with that for three more weeks. It stinks."

It was a perfectly understandable answer, Kallus told himself. "What would you have me do instead, Zeb?"

"Can't you shower there? Hell, let him fuck you so I don't have to know what you're doing in the 'fresher." Kallus rolled his eyes at the crass response. That wasn't a decent answer at all. "Look, what all are you two going to have to get up to?"

It was a list of things Zeb would hate, and he took a bit of pleasure in listing them. "More touching. It's been perfectly innocent, but I can't help the way my body reacts. I will have to be able to tolerate him kissing me, so that's on the list with touching my hips or neck the way a lover would. Holding me at night is another expectation, and we have to stick to the script in case anybody manages to get cameras or audio into our hotel room."

"So skin contact," Zeb said, lifting a hand to rest against Kallus's face. He leaned into the touch.

"Yes. Like I said, it's not my ideal scenario, but he's been a perfect gentleman."

Zeb was silent for a long moment before pulling Kallus into his arms. "I saw your face when you first read the brief. I won't say anything, but I think a better plan could be made."

Kallus relaxed against him. "I'll be receiving more information tonight. If it turns out there's a chance that's true, I'll make the appropriate recommendations. Once we're in hyperspace I'll have more authority to change some mission parameters."

"After this mission…" Zeb's fur twitched, as though he was irritated or nervous. "After this, no more of these ones going undercover where we're all split up."

"How the hell are you going to stop Rebel Intelligence from assigning stuff like this?" he muttered into the slightly smelly purple fluff of Zeb's neck.

Zeb was quiet for the moment. "I dunno. Murder's an option as long as Hera doesn't find out, right?"

"Dibs on Draven," Kallus murmured.

"You're such an ass," Zeb muttered fondly.

"I know," Kallus responded. "You and Bridger tell me at least once a day. Each."

Behind Zeb someone cleared their throat. "Pardon the interruption," said Rau, stepping into view, "but the kids are whining about getting this over with for the day so I said I would come find you."

Kallus rolled his eyes, and didn't step away as Rau drew closer to them. "Did they even chew their food?"

"Ezra and Wedge don't chew," Zeb chimed in, calm and back to his usual gruff self. "Human males in that age group inhale, future indigestion be damned."

Thinking back to when he was in the Royal Imperial Academy, Kallus tried to remember if had ever chewed and savored his meals. Twenty years ago was a lot of time. Aboard ships, he'd had time to observe the younger officers and troopers, and they certainly seemed to behave the same way. "I'm pretty sure you're correct. They may actually have the vacuum of space instead of an esophagus until they hit about twenty-three and that sense of having to do everything as soon as possible dies down."

Rau chuckled. "It sure seems that way. Come on, you two can finishing working whatever it is out later. We have to torture them with the rest of the basic steps for the waltz before we can head back down."

Kallus reluctantly pulled himself away from Zeb's warmth, and let Rau take his hand. He was right. They had work to do.

\---

After the kids had at least learned the steps of the waltz they'd brought the ship back down. Rau had gone off to shower, and Kallus had gone for a very thorough shower of his own, and then a nap with Zeb with the understanding that he'd join Rau after the evening meal. For once, the universe seemed content to let them be, to simply exist in each other's company.8 Kallus lied on his side facing Zeb, back to the bulkhead wall, dozing throughout the afternoon hours with Zeb's arm draped over his hip until his comlink went off. Crawling out around a very tired lasat who most emphatically did not want to let him out of bed had taken him nearly five minutes, but at least he left the _Ghost_ feeling rather rested and cared for.

The meeting with Draven regarding his new information did not go at all how Kallus had hoped. He knew of the target, though he hadn't had the displeasure of previously being introduced.

"Eli Vanto?" he'd hissed at General Draven in disbelief. "Former Commander Eli Vanto9, born on Lysatra, graduated from the Royal Imperial Academy on the supply officer track after an unexpected transfer there from an Myomar Academy, previously of the 96th Imperial Fleet, former personal aid to Grand Admiral Thrawn? _That Eli Vanto?_ "

General Draven held up a hand to try to back Kallus down. "Captain - "

"He's not even loyal to the Empire. If Thrawn hadn't done whatever the hell he did to hide him when he had, Vanto would have been under investigation by the ISB for being loyal to Thrawn instead of the Empire, and Thrawn has been - by all accounts - just as loyal to Vanto. He's extremely protective of him. Making a move on him is a fast way to get every single one of us killed." Kallus wasn't getting hysterical. Sure, they were absolutely going to get caught and die if they went through with this, but he wasn't panicking over the risk of being back in that cruel, cold bastard's clutches again. Thrawn had only tortured him and then made him watch his friends die while reminding him from time to time that it was his fault for leading Thrawn there.

"Vanto is our only lead at the moment," Draven calmly put in.

Kallus wouldn't have given a shit if Vanto knew the secret code to the Emperor's bedchamber and a magic way to teleport in and out to murder the bastard. Messing with anybody that closely connected to Thrawn was a surefire way to a slow and painful death. "That information is not worth the risk of this entire base!"

"That is not your decision to make, _Captain_!" The general stood, and matched his glare as he called Kallus to attention. It worked to focus him: his body responded automatically to the command, heels smartly together on the line, shoulders back, head upright, eyes forward, fists at his side and his middle finger lined up with the seam of his trousers.

"When I permit you to speak, the first thing out of your mouth had damn well better be an apology or the next thing out of my mouth could very well be a demotion. I have better things to do than argue with you over a mission that's already been given the green light. Once you're out of the system, you can make whatever adjustments you need to keep us safe, but if you take that attitude with me again you're going to regret it." Draven stepped away from him, still glaring, and took a seat at his desk to work on a datapad. He kept Kallus at attention for several minutes, long enough for both of them to calm down, for Kallus's anger to turn to shame, to guilt, to self-loathing for letting his control slip.

The mental dressing-down he would give himself later would be much more vicious than what Draven had done, but for now, Kallus could only prepare a properly sincere apology. He took a deep breath in through his nose and let it out slowly through his mouth. Another one, a third one, a fourth, and by the fifth his pounding heart had started to settle. After ten of them, General Draven looked up at him. "Captain Kallus, you have permission to speak," he said calmly. "Do use it wisely."

Kallus held himself at attention: permission to speak wasn't the same thing as being granted permission to change his stance or posture. "I apologize, General Draven, for my insubordination, for my loss of control, and my attitude. It will not happen again, sir."

"See to it that it doesn't," Draven said, and handed him a datacard. "This is the additional information on your target. Now get the hell out of my sight."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Draven waved him out, and Kallus left, feeling like he couldn't put enough distance between the two of them soon enough. He headed into the barracks portion of the compound after securing the datacard in an inside pocket of his uniform jacket, having already agreed to meet with Rau, and having already talked this out with Zeb. The lasat was only worried about his mental state, and going back to the _Ghost_ right now would not improve that or make Zeb think he was fit for this mission. Might as well go through with what was planned.

**[Preparation Objective Three: Be able to fake a marriage to Fenn Rau]**

The one thing that was going easier on him than expected was that, because he had agreed to take on the role of the diplomat and dominant partner, Rau was coordinating all the cultural information for him and making sure everyone learned what they needed to. It would probably make Kallus's life a hell of a lot easier over the next few days, and he had privately and profusely thanked the man when he'd volunteered.

Rau's door was open when he arrived, and the Mandalorian waved him in before securing it behind him. "Rough meeting?" he asked, gesturing to the bed. Kallus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, activating the sound-dampening field and leaving it in the middle of the room before sitting.

"I don't want to - and I can't - talk about it."

"So that's a yes," Rau murmured. He sat down next to Kallus on the bed, leaving little space between them. "May I touch you, or would you prefer something else?"

Right. He was here for a reason. "You may touch," he said softly, turning and looking at Rau. Maybe touch would calm him down.

The older man studied him for a moment, then reached out and ran a hand through Kallus's hair before resting it against his cheek. "Am I going to be mauled by an angry lasat in the morning?"

"No. We've worked it out. He's concerned about my mental state, worried I might get hurt, and this splitting up aspect is making him nervous." Nuzzling Rau's hand wasn't necessary for the job, but it didn't stop Kallus from doing it. They were meant to be achieving a higher degree of intimacy, and he needed to be comfortable touching his "husband" and taking comfort from him.

"Good. Then take your jacket off, and your boots. I want fewer layers between us, and you can shower here before you go back to the _Ghost_ if it will make him more comfortable."

Kallus hesitated, but obeyed, and watched as Rau - as Fenn, he really needed to get better about given names - did the same. "Good, Kal. Now tell me, what are you comfortable with tonight?"

"I don't know," he admitted after a moment, not meeting Rau's eyes. Fenn's eyes. Ugh. "As you deduced, I'm frustrated with this mission right now."

"Good boy," Fenn murmured, reaching up to run a hand through his hair: a reward for talking about something difficult. "I'm sure you can't tell me the specific reason for your frustration, but how else is it making you feel that's compounding this?"

Oh, that one was easy. "Fatalistic." Kallus brought his hand up to rest it over the back of Fenn's. "Stretched. Wanting." He looked up at Fenn's eyes. That was another problem: he was going to have to admit at some point that there was an attraction here. Even if it was just to himself, Kallus was going to have to come to terms with that.

"Undisciplined?" Fenn suggested, and the look on his face when Kallus shivered just slightly from the bit of hunger in his tone was doing no good for him.

"I might have yelled at General Draven," he admitted quietly, looking away again as the remembered shame and guilt welled up inside him again.

Both of Rau's eyebrows shot up in momentary surprise before he suppressed the reaction. "Undisciplined, indeed," he muttered. "I can work with that, in a bit, after you've gotten used to touch again."

"What do you mean?" Kallus asked, a little suspicious.

"There are some practices on Grizmallt that married couples who support the order of monks indulge in frequently: I've been doing more research, since we'll be under scrutiny for a few days. One of them seems like it could benefit you now, but not while you're this keyed up. I need you to relax more." Fenn had his lips pressed together in a thin line as he evaluated Kallus. "They also wear wedding rings there. I have obtained two."

Kallus blinked. The exchanging of rings were one of those claiming rituals some human cultures indulged in to mark their partners symbolically during the marriage ceremony. "We can't wear them out of this room until we leave."

Fenn nodded. "I know, but I want you to get used to it. Hold out your right hand, Kallus," he ordered, and leaned back to dig for something. With nothing better to do, Kallus obeyed, and watched as the older man's shirt rode up over his taut abdomen, revealing delicious muscle and little hair. The Mandalorian sat back up with a small box in his hand and opened it to reveal a few gold rings of various sizes. "Those who support the monks don't wear ostentatious wedding rings as they do on some worlds. You'll have all the shiny things I selected to drape you in, of course, but for your fingers, it's just this.

Kallus watched as Rau selected one, and slid it onto his right index finger. It took a couple tries to find one that fit his pretend husband, but in the end, they had matching gold bands. "How does the fit feel?" Fenn asked.

"It's fine," Kallus said, and forced himself to ignore that it was there at all. Something about it felt grounding, and he didn't want to focus too much on that when he was here to learn the results of Fenn's research. The box was set aside, and Fenn shifted closer.

"Glad to hear it," he said, and reached out to take Kallus's right hand with his left. "Remember: even when we are alone, or with Sabine and Wedge, it is expected that you will seek out physical contact or direction from me. Like with the dancing, you must trust me to guide your movements. The problem comes from knowing our rooms will most likely be bugged, and what will be expected beyond that. With marriage comes a certain familiarity that we don't have."

And the chances of being able to fake it in two more weeks weren't something he was sold on. "So I'm told," he said wryly.

Fenn shifted a little more to face Kallus, and lifted his right hand to rest on his thigh. "Nor do I think we are likely to achieve it if we move slowly. I don't want to push either of us passed the point of comfort, but I also don't want to jeopardize our mission."

Unaware of the movement until it was too late to do anything about it, Kallus lifted that leg a little, slightly pressing into the hand. "Nor do I."

"The kids have their own things to learn, and I've given them a lot to read over, but our parts - mine and yours - need to be practiced. We have to be able to move as one unit." The hand on his thigh slid up to rest on Kallus's hip. Their eyes were still locked on each other's, that intense gaze nearly pinning him in place. Somehow, Kallus found the strength in himself to lift his other hand and trail it down Fenn's right arm.

"What are you proposing?" he asked quietly.

Fenn leaned in a little closer, entwining their lower legs. The hand on his hip boldly controlled the movement of the younger man's lower body. Bare feet brushed together: the first skin-to-skin contact they'd had besides hands. Kallus's hand trailed back up Fenn's arm and teased over his neck. "I keep changing my mind on what I want to propose, to be honest," Rau breathed.

Kallus smirked a little. Both of them were breathing a little harder, a little faster, and it was satisfying to be the cause of that in someone who was usually so unaffected. "What was your original proposal?"

Fenn seemed to need a moment in the face of his smirk, but rallied himself quickly enough. "As you know from our initial research, there are some traditional positions married couples use for a variety of purposes, and I need to teach them to you, as well as to respond to my commands to switch to them immediately, and without question. You're also going to have to learn not to speak unless spoken to or given permission, the proper way to serve myself, our family, or any guests food and drink, and how to address the children and myself in public."

It was a lot, but for the person running the operation, it was the perfect role: Kallus could check on everybody and discreetly keep tabs on everything, make changes, and give new orders easily without alerting anybody who didn't need to know. "Are these used privately as well?" he asked, smirk widening a little.

"Oh yes," Fenn replied with a small smirk. "There are many that are used exclusively in private: we will have to practice those as well. If you find them helpful, we can make more frequent use of them."

That sounded incredibly enticing: if nothing else, Kallus's dick was interested in the proceedings. "Then perhaps we should start with you teaching me the proper ways to behave as your husband," he suggested, voice low, eyes watching Rau for a reaction. "Especially if you think I may find them helpful."

He felt the shiver, pressed close on the bed as they were, and thought for a moment Rau might kiss him instead. The man looked like he had to talk himself into pulling away and releasing Kallus from his arms as he stood. A thick shirt - one of Rau's - was grabbed off a nearby shelf, folded a couple of times, and dropped to the floor. "Stand up, please."

Kallus slid off the bed and stretched slowly. Rau's gaze was very appreciative as it took him in. "Now what?"

"Now you learn how and where to stand." Fenn stood next to him so they were facing the same direction. "In public, you will almost always be right here." He took Kallus's hand, directed him on where to put it on his arm, and praised him for the correct behavior in a way that was really starting to go right to his cock. "Should we be separated for any reason I will summon you back to my side as it pleases _me_ to do so. The gesture you will watch for is this." He demonstrated after stepping away: raising one finger and pointing it up to the small room's ceiling, and then sharply down at the floor. 10

Kallus stepped obediently to Fenn's side, and properly took his arm. "Very good, Kallus," he murmured, and turned to face him. Nails gently raked through his scalp, making him shiver. "I want you to learn three tonight, and then I will reward you."

The promise of a reward intrigued him. Kallus was hardly a child who did things solely for the reward they would provide, but he couldn't deny the appeal either. "Very well," he agreed. "Teach me."

By the time he had learned the commands for "kneel,11" and "kneel with eyes averted, knees apart, hands behind your back,12" Kallus was pent up with a different sort of frustration, and Rau seemed to be enjoying it. He left Kallus kneeling on the floor and sprawled on the bed running his hands through the younger man's hair when he had finished drilling him on the commands. "You're doing very well," he praised softly. "Getting everyone ready, balancing the mission with everyone's needs, not just learning your part. All while you're still adjusting to being one of us."

Kallus took a deep breath, and let Fenn's words wash over him. "You’ve gotten hardly any praise or recognition for this, and there's still so much to go. You learned three positions tonight, and one rule already: do you think you can handle five more rules?"

"Why are you handling me so carefully?" Kallus asked, keeping his eyes on the floor, to test the situation. Something was changing between them tonight. Had changed. There were different boundaries in place, and he wasn't completely sure what they were or where they lay.

"Answer the question put to you, dear heart," Fenn's voice suddenly had more authority to it, though he didn't raise the volume at all, and it wasn't at all cold or cruel.

"Yes, I can." The answer surprised him, mostly because that wasn't what he had intended to say. _I guess it's difficult to tell a man to go fuck himself, with himself, when he's playing with my hair. Odd._

The reward for obedience that time was a quick tug on his hair, which managed to surprise a moan out of him. "Very good," Rau murmured. "Here are the rules, which will apply the entire time we are acting in our roles for this mission, and when we are practicing our roles. At no other time will I enforce these: you will address me as 'My Lord Husband;' you will do as you are told when you are told - without questioning me; you will tell me if you are uncomfortable or in pain; if you need to break out of this role while we are here, you will address me by my name; and you will not talk back to me. There will be consequences, worse ones if I have to dole them out in public. I'm still looking to see what they are. Our expert on Grizmallt should return tomorrow, and be available for coaching."

That was a relief.

"Can you abide those rules?"

"I can." They certainly seemed straightforward enough.

"In your own words, Kallus, tell me the six rules you have learned tonight," the hand dropped out of his hair, and Kallus scowled, but obeyed.

Really, taking the hand away was unfair. He could have recited back whatever Fenn wanted him too even with the pleasant distraction. "I am to be at your side in public at all times unless it is necessary for us to split up briefly, and I will return to your side immediately when you gesture for me to come back. I am to always address you as, 'My Lord Husband,' unless I need us to stop practicing while we are here, and then I will address you by your name. I will tell you if I am in pain, or uncomfortable. I will do what you order me to do when you order me to do it without questioning you, and I am not to talk back to you. If I break any of these rules, there will be consequences, and you will punish me publicly if it is necessary."

"Good. You may join me on the bunk."

Oh good, his legs were killing him. Kallus slowly stood, stretched his right thigh carefully, and joined Rau on his bed. Fenn was lying on his side, and he tugged Kallus to lie next to him, on his back. This position offered an opportunity to look at the Mandalorian from another angle. As far as potential partners went, at least he'd chosen handsomely. The lighting in here flattered the older warrior's face, the warm tones brightening the paler skin that often accompanied ginger hair. Life behind a helmet had kept him mostly free of freckles (unlike Kallus, who was covered in them from head to toe), and his bright blue eyes stood out above his wide nose and sharp cheekbones.

They looked at each other for a while, neither touching the other, only making private observations and cataloging little details. Hesitantly, Kallus reached up first, and touched his face. Carefully, he traced his fingertips along the cheekbones, then up, across his forehead, before exploring his ears and the shaved area of his undercut around them. That got a sharp gasp, and Rau's eyes closed. Kallus lightly dragged his nail over the shell of the ear, and down to the lobe, wondering how he'd react to a mouth teasing over the same path.

If things kept up as they were, he'd have time for that later. Determined to explore further before his time here was up for the evening, his hand continued lower, over the tunic the man wore to trace his collarbone and his shoulders through it. Kallus was starting to think that he really wanted it out of the way.

From the way Fenn Rau was looking down at him, he probably did too.

Kallus reached his hand back up and gently ran a hand through his hair. No, touching was not going to be enough right now. If he couldn't get what he needed here, then he would leave soon and go looking through the base to get what he needed. Another moan was dragged out of the Mandalorian, sounded like it came from deep within him.

"Kallus," he gasped, reaching out to take hold of his hand and bring it in close to his chest. "How far are you willing to go with this? What is it you need from me right now?"

What did he need, and from Rau specifically? Kallus forced himself to slow down, to think. It was frustrating, because all he could really think that he needed was to get Fenn's clothing off of him so he could have an easier time touching. "I want to touch more of you," he managed to get out after a moment. "I - your clothing is in the way."

"I can fix that," Rau said, and pulled back a little. He gracefully slid out of the bed over Kallus (and managed to grind their cocks together in the processes, thus successfully destroying the younger man's ability to think about anything else for a moment) and strip. Beneath his tunic and trousers, Rau had on absolutely nothing, and Kallus was thrilled with that revelation. His body was gorgeous: well-conditioned, mostly hairless. Though average length, his uncut cock was very pretty. The whole of it was thick, and about as wide around as it was long. It jutted up from the well-trimmed hairs around the base, moisture already glistening invitingly at the tip.

Kallus licked his lips. If he had this his way, that would be inside his mouth before he left the room tonight.

"Your turn, darling," Fenn said. His tone implied a request, but his eyes were watching Kallus too closely for it to be anything but an order.

"Yes, My Lord Husband," Kallus responded, using the proper form of address with his eyes carefully averted so he could look at Fenn's cock. He pulled himself back out of the bed and stood. With the boots and jacket off it was easy enough to pull off the brown uniform t-shirt, his holster, blaster, and belt, and cast them neatly aside. The gray pants and his briefs he pushed down in one smooth motion. His cock bounced free as the soft cloth dragged over the head and then away.

Having those blue eyes on his naked body as he stepped out of the pants was quite the sensation. "Oh, aren't you well-behaved," Fenn murmured, and took a step back so he was against the wall next to the locked door. "Let us test your new knowledge in a different situation, dear heart. Come."

Fenn made the gesture for Kallus to come and stand with him, and this time pointed to a spot in front of him. Eager to see what this new game was - more than willing to play if this was going where he thought it was - Kallus obeyed. A hand ran through his hair and Fenn used the grip that gave him to close the distance between their lips for a gentle kiss. It was, quite obviously, only a testing of the waters. Kallus hadn't kissed any of his partners in years, and doing so now was a nice reminder of how different being here was. He brought his hands up to rest on Rau's shoulders, so he could touch the skin, mindful of what he'd been told about his role: it was common of the submissive partners to seek out physical contact.

Coming from an Empire that kept its personnel as touch-starved as possible, Kallus didn't think it would be much of an issue. Fenn was fast getting him acclimated to enjoying this, to liking the touch, and after they were finished tonight, well, Kallus had a feeling he'd be willing to seek out more.

They came together for a second kiss, and a third, and possibly another one after that, though Fenn was so good at it that by the time he broke away to kiss and bite possessively at Kallus's neck and shoulder the taller man was lightheaded enough from the pleasure of it that he wasn't keeping track. "You're doing very well," Fenn praised, then gasped as Kallus turned his head to nip and lap at at the sensitive shell of his ear. "But I think it's time to see what else you remember."

Kallus was about to protest because he was quite happy where he was, thank you, but then he saw the gesture Fenn was using and - oh, yes, okay - he was perfectly fine with that. Two fingers pointing down, slightly spread apart, indicated that Kallus was to kneel in that same position, and with his hands behind his back. "Is this still okay?" Rau asked, running a hand through Kallus's hair. "Are you all right?"

It struck him as odd that he'd never been asked that question during sex. Kallus thought that he must be wrong, and surely someone had asked him that: but of course no one had, because his last few lovers hadn't been the most caring partners. They'd only wanted Kallus to give it to them good and hard - and silently - with no regard for his needs whatsoever.

The last one hadn't even cared if he'd gotten off, and had sent Kallus away unfulfilled more than once. He was dead now, and the bastard had deserved it.

Rau clearly had much better intentions, and Kallus was willing to do what he asked if it was to their mutual pleasure. Besides, for this mission, it was his duty to serve. If it got that dick in his mouth, he would absolutely take advantage of that role. "Yes, My Lord Husband," he said reverently, filing that thought away to examine later. Kallus saw Rau's dick twitch. He wanted badly to worship it, to take it into his mouth and taste it, or at least to be permitted to lap away the moisture gathering at the tip. The former Imperial licked his lips, eyes watching it intently.

"Good boy. What a good husband I have." Fenn reached down to his chin and tilted Kallus's head up to look at his face. "Look at me, Kallus. You want to suck me off, don't you?"

Not quite trusting his voice not to shake, he nodded. Fenn smiled. "Then you may do so, but you must keep your hands behind your back."

Whatever got that tempting cockhead in his mouth would do: Kallus leaned forward and lapped at it, swiping his tongue through the gathered pre-cum to taste it. It wasn't overly salty, at least, so Kallus dipped his tongue into the slit, hungrily seeking out more. He chased the taste. When he was sure he'd gotten all of it, Kallus took the thick head into his mouth and sucked lightly. How would it feel to be breached by that? To have it forcing its way into his hole? Kallus hadn't been taken in years, but for this cock, he'd make an exception. It was perfectly thick, only just fit into his mouth, and was probably the right size to glide over his prostate with every thrust.

He looked up at Rau around his mouthful with hopeful eyes, attempting to silently convey that thought to him. Judging by the way the man shivered and his hand tightened in Kallus's hair, he must have gotten the message. Kallus leaned forward to press the other man further back into the wall as he took him deeper into his mouth. It may have been a long time since he'd been taken, but Kallus was no stranger to having a cock in his mouth. He pulled back, took a deep breath in and out and in, and swallowed Fenn down to the base.

An audible thump made him chuckle around the thick length of flesh holding his jaw open. The older male had thrown his head back and was gasping. That wouldn't do. Kallus closed his lips around him and sucked. Fenn's eyes were back on his immediately. Better. Kallus would have smirked up at him if he could, but his mouth was more than a little preoccupied. Now that he had Fenn's full attention, he could enjoy himself.

Something Kallus particularly enjoyed with his lovers that could deep throat was being teased. As an ISB Agent, he very rarely had opportunities for sex and took advantage of them even less often. Drawing the act out as long as possible made it better, in his opinion, and made jacking off to the memory of it better later. He pulled back slowly and flattened his tongue to lick a long strip up the underside as he went, then flicked it across the head, and quickly sucked Fenn back into his mouth. A swear word from above was a good sign, he figured, and so he fucked his mouth with Fenn's cock for a moment.

The fist in his hair was almost painfully tight, so Kallus pulled back, repeating the maneuver. He did it a couple more times, then didn't take Fenn all the way in. With only the head in his mouth, Kallus could be much greedier for the taste of his pre-cum, piously lapping it all up, teasing the head with the tip of his tongue, until Fenn swore and tugged Kallus away.

"Enough," he said, voice rough and ragged with want.

"Did I not please you, My Lord Husband?" Kallus dared to ask, lowering his gaze and tilting his head down to help cover up a smirk. He'd put credits on Fenn having been on the verge of coming down his throat right before he'd made himself pull Kallus back.

Fenn shivered. Kallus's smirk grew. "You pleased me very well," the Mandalorian did not have his voice any more under control. "I daresay you're about to please me more. Go and kneel on the bunk: hands and elbows, facing my pillow. I want your ass in the air where I can easily get at it. Move."

It was a more exposed position, but he still obeyed immediately (he was pretending to be Fenn's trophy husband, after all), high on having brought Fenn Rau to the edge of a loss of control. Fenn followed him and knelt behind him, between his spread legs. His hands kept themselves occupied, running over the globe of his ass, down his thighs, or over his back. "This is called the 'punishment' or 'ass' position13. I'll properly teach you the commands for this one another day: for now, it serves my purpose in doing my duty to you as your husband."

Kallus shivered this time, as Fenn's thumb caught over his hole and spread it a little. "Unless you tell me no - and I will respect you wishes - I will use this position to open you up and relax you enough to take my cock. Do you want to continue?"

"Yes." Kallus said, putting eagerness into his voice as he looked over his shoulder at Fenn. He badly, desperately, wanted to continue. "Yes, My Lord Husband. If you don't give me a thorough pounding I will leave right now and find someone on this base who will do it for you."

Fenn laughed at that. "No need to get up, Kallus. I'll give it to you as hard and fast or hard and slow as you want." Kallus nodded, and rested his head on the man's pillow. _Good._ "Let me get you ready, then."

Rimming was an activity Kallus had engaged in many times, but only on the giving end. Lyste had loved it, the little slut. Being stationed with him had been nice, because at least then Kallus was guaranteed to get off when he pleased. Lyste was one of those scrawny young men - not quite done growing but definitely an adult - who loved sitting on his face. Kallus had made him orgasm solely from that on more than one occasion: often in supply closest, and frequently made him kneel to clean up his messes. Lyste had also been a quick learner with regard to blowjobs.

Other partners of his had enjoyed rimming, but Kallus didn't like to think about them nearly as much.

Kallus had never experienced it himself, even when he'd been the one being fucked up the ass. He certainly never thought it would feel good to have a hot, wet tongue prodding at the entrance to his body, fingers holding him apart, and Fenn's stubble lightly scratching over his sensitive skin. If that had never sounded personally appealing, Kallus had never really thought about how good it would feel to have two fingers inside him to spread him open, massaging over his prostate while that tongue expertly stripped away his control. The range of noises he was making into Fenn's pillow were utterly embarrassing.

It wasn't until he started desperately fucking back onto Fenn's fingers and tongue that the man took pity on him. "Shhh," he murmured, pulling away. He left a hand on Kallus's back, so the panting captain could still feel him. "Let's get you slicked up."

The fingers returned a moment later, but first to hold him open. Something cool and liquid first brushed over his hole, and then pooled further in. He moaned, recognizing the feeling of lubrication and the plastic of a lube launcher. Fenn's fingers returned, easily entering him a second time to spread the slick inside him. This time, the fingers weren't quite as gentle: something Kallus appreciated. He fucked back against them, taking the measure of whether he was ready for more or not that way. It still hurt somewhat, though he was starting to relax.

"I'm going to give you more lube, and add another finger if I can," Rau told him after several moments of silent, save for the sounds of Kallus moving.

Frustrated, because it was starting to feel good, he stopped moving and let Fenn withdraw his fingers to add more lubrication. The coolness of it contrasted with the heat of his body, making him moan and shiver. After adjusting his position impatiently, Rau chuckled and gave Kallus back what he wanted: that sensation of fullness. This time, the stretch was more tolerable, and it only took him a few minutes before he was fucking back onto the fingers and begging quietly for Fenn's dick.

"On your back, Kallus," Fenn said as he withdrew his fingers and glanced around his room with a frown as Kallus obeyed. "I need to find a barrier."

Hell. Did he care about the mess right now? Kallus decided no, he didn't give a shit. "I'm fine without it, unless you've caught something awful."

Fenn shook his head. "And we wouldn't be using them as a married couple anyway." When Kallus nodded his head in agreement, he crawled over him, stretched out on top. A roll of Kallus's hips greeted him, but Fenn ignored that in favor of biting and licking his way from Kallus's neck to his hips. By the time he finally settled into place, lined up with Kallus's legs draped over his shoulders, the taller man was trembling and eager for it, his cock drooling pre-cum onto his belly.

When Fend pushed in with that thick cock Kallus's entire world narrowed down to the two of them in that bunk. Fenn Rau was an honorable man who made good on his promises. He'd said that Kallus wouldn't have to leave this room to get a proper pounding and he was right. The follow-through was precisely as he'd said it would be, though the thrusts started out unhurried. That was fine with Kallus, especially when every thrust back in glided right over his prostate. Then Fenn snapped his hips roughly, the powerful movement pushing him balls deep into Kallus's body.

Every movement brought pleasure. When Kallus moved his hands to slide them over Fenn's arms, or to touch around where they were joined together, it set his nerve endings aflame. When Fenn started losing control and the thrusts become more disjointed Kallus couldn't help begging for it faster. He tugged the older man down close enough to kiss, honestly feeling way too good to care that he was letting his guard down. When Fenn moved Kallus's legs to wrap around his waist and pressed their foreheads together as they came, Kallus didn’t care about anything besides the face that Fenn was cumming inside him, and he was spilling between them without his cock having been touched even once.

When Fenn kissed him afterward, he didn't care where that mouth had been an indeterminate amount of time before, so long as he didn't have to unlock his legs and let go.

\---

**[Preparation Objective Four: Final pre-mission check-in with Intelligence]**

Maybe he should insist on a pre-mission visit to sickbay because his heart was doing a weird double-time beat thing and his stomach seemed to have detached itself to do some kind of somersault in his abdominal cavity every time he thought about Fenn Rau. Going on a mission with improperly attached organs seemed like something that would be against even the incredibly relaxed protocols of the Rebel Alliance. Over the last eleven days he'd slept in his own room once.

Obviously, the simple solution would be to stop having sex with Fenn Rau, or to stop thinking about him and his dick every spare second he had to devote to them, but Kallus really didn't want to do either of those things. Both of them were very nice and sex with Fenn was grounding to him. Whatever the hell sort of relationship they had, it gave Kallus something he hadn't known he needed. The structure to it, the rules and the clear-cut consequences of breaking those rules, added back the sort of discipline one didn't really find in the Rebel Alliance. It took an important aspect of his life, kept it neat and orderly and allowed him to rely on that framework for support.

One could take the soldier out of the Empire, but it was hard to take the Empire out of the soldier. All of that need for structure, order, and discipline had been drilled into him for the last twenty years. Suddenly being thrust into a haphazard military that didn't quite have a command hierarchy or formal protocols yet was a culture shock. After two decades of formalities and military tradition being perfectly and consistently observed by everyone in his life, it was nice to have at least one aspect that was similar.

Kallus was well aware that it probably wouldn't last beyond this mission, but he was trying to avoid dealing with that emotional crash until he'd gotten all of their people out alive and their objectives met, especially when they were leaving in two days and he still had tasks to accomplish.

Such as this somewhat larger meeting with Rebel Intelligence and High Command. It also included members of the tech team that had been training Hera, Rex, Zeb, Chopper, and AP-5 on the use of the new equipment. Senators Mon Mothma and Bail Organa would be there, he knew, as would General Draven, the Mon Calamari admiral, and their various aides. A couple high ranking intelligence officers would be present as well. It was the sort of meeting where he would have to keep his cool because it would be far too easy for anybody to gang up on him and he was going into this with absolutely no friends or support. Even Draven could only give him so much backing with this group present.

It reminded him rather uncomfortably of his initial debriefing with nearly this same group. There had been more senators at that one. That had lasted for three weeks, and he'd still not quite forgiven them for some of the questions repeatedly asked. Speaking of Lasan and Onderon over and over again were not enjoyable, and he still couldn't glimpse a couple of the senators and generals from other groups without instinctively reaching for his blaster.

Steeling himself for the meeting, he pushed into the smaller briefing room to which he'd been ordered to report, and found it was only the crowd he expected. No unfortunate surprises there, thankfully. A place had been left at the round table for him - everything was always round here as well, no tables facing inquiry boards like the Empire - and he came to attention before it as expected. At least that was familiar. "Captain Kallus reporting as ordered," he said, and waited.

"At ease, Captain," General Draven said. If he was giving the orders, then it really was an intelligence briefing. Good. "Be seated." Kallus sat obediently, pointedly ignoring a lingering ache from much earlier this morning and how absolutely empty he felt now that Fenn wasn't currently inside him, and rested his datapad on the table.

It was an easy briefing. They wanted to know the mission status, how his people were doing, and if the cultural experts provided had been of assistance. Fortunately, it was good news all around (the Grizmallt expert in particular had helped a lot with getting their familial act together, to say nothing of how he and Fenn were beginning to act as a couple, despite how shockingly rude he had been toward Kallus the entire time), until Senator Organa asked him about Eli Vanto. Kallus was good at keeping a straight face, but he couldn't hide the way his back stiffened slightly. He glanced at General Draven and raised an eyebrow, but Draven was busy glaring at Organa. Kallus looked at Colonel Vandyke for guidance instead, who shrugged.

He was on his own then. Fine. He would handle it his way then. "What about him, Senator?" Kallus said calmly.

"Is he not also a formerly high ranked Imperial operative who went missing that also served under Grand Admiral Thrawn? You don't feel any sort of camaraderie toward him, do you?"

It was the kind of thinly veiled accusation only a life-long politician would come up with. Every Intelligence Operative in the room looked offended on his behalf, so Kallus didn't bother with too much maturity. The best way to handle this was to channel his father, he was sure of it. He rolled his eyes and let the a small amount of the hatred he held for the man leak into his voice. "Please. Are some of you still stuck on thinking I'm a triple agent? I never met Vanto, but I'm well aware of the dangers his presence on Denon entails. His benefactor was in command of the last sector I worked in, after all, and spent several hours torturing me before he made me watch as he murdered most of Phoenix Squadron: or had you forgotten what Thrawn had done to me between the torture that was my debriefing and right now? I want nothing to do with Vanto and much less to do with his mentor."

Murmuring broke out around the table, and General Draven was looking at him with an expression that held annoyance, exasperation, and a bit of fondness. Kallus held up a hand, and silence fell. It wasn't often he used the Imperial bearing that had been drilled into him for most of his life: a sign of his class and rank, but it worked well to silence a room of rag-tag rebels and their lack of discipline here. "That said, this mission has been given to me. I have spent too many hours planning it, training my crew, putting up whining teenagers and adults who really ought to know better, and dealing with fussy logistics droids to back out.

  
"If Vanto is there, yes, we're probably completely fucked. If Vanto is there, Thrawn is somehow involved. But there's no other group that has a chance of getting him and getting out alive if we're up against Grand Admiral Thrawn, and you know it, so either admit you've been wasting my time and energy and pull the plug on this, or go back to doubting my loyalty behind my back so we can finish here and I can get back to work."

The silence continued, and Kallus let it settle over the group. Draven was looking more proud for every senator that looked ready to die of shock. Good. At least the doubters seemed to be silenced for now. He had one more request to make before he went to go check on AP-5. "Now: I have one final request to make. I need something to detect subcutaneous tracking devices with. It does us no good to get Vanto off the planet if Thrawn's had his pet chipped."

\---

**[Preparation Objective Five: Load the supplies onto the ships]**

He hadn't gone right to AP-5. The rest of the meeting had gone well, his final request had been agreed to, and the intelligence operatives had kidnapped him off to the side afterward to congratulate him on silencing not only the entire room, but also both senators. What was his trick? They seemed to badly want to know, but Kallus wasn't going to tell them about his father. He blamed it on twenty years in the ISB and left it at that.

Following that, he'd been kidnapped by Bridger and dragged to the mess hall for food, where he easily side-stepped transparent attempts to ask what was going on with Fenn. As soon as he'd been able to arrange his escape, he'd fled. Ezra might be right on the cusp of adulthood, but that one did not need to know that Kallus hadn't been sleeping on the _Ghost_ because he kept falling asleep with Rau's cock up inside him.

Fenn had caught up to him right outside the supplies room. No one was around: apparently the Mandalorian had been watching for him from this spot for a while. This wasn't the first time in the last three days he'd been ambushed for sex outside of practicing their roles, but it was the first time Fenn had been waiting somewhere secluded. It almost gave him hope that this might last longer than the mission.

Kallus raised an eyebrow to ask why, and was promptly pulled into the deep shadows of the alcove and into a kiss that curled his toes in his boots. "Not that I'm complaining," he panted, resting his forehead against Fenn's and winding his arms around his shoulders, "but why?"

"Bridger was looking for you in my quarters, and I didn't want to wait until tonight if I could steal you for five minutes now."

Oh. Kallus rewarded him with another kiss. "He made me eat with him and asked me very blunt questions about us."

"He asked me similar ones." Fenn's lips were on his neck, and his hands were on Kallus's belt buckle. "I had to try very hard to not project my afternoon plans or anything we did this morning."

Kallus moaned softly. "What are those?"

"I'm going to suck you off, then I have to go spar with Sabine, and work with her and Wedge on their behavioral stuff until dinner." Fenn dropped to his knees, and pulled Kallus's dick free, pressed a kiss to the head.

"After dinner?" he prompted, resting a hand on the older man's head.

Fenn laved his tongue over the head, then pulled back to grin up at Kallus. "I'm going to drill you again, and then I'm going to _drill_ you again. I think I'll have you ride me. You looked quite fetching last night."

Oh. He could hardly complain about that, could he? Especially not when his cock was halfway into Fenn's mouth and he was giving it his all. Kallus had to clamp a hand over his mouth to avoid being heard. Anybody could walk passed this alcove, anybody could see them - the thought of it had him fully hard with the help of that talented mouth - and anybody would know that Fenn Rau might actually be ruining him for any future lovers. The bastard was a fast learner, and once he figured out what Kallus liked best or how to tease he exploited it to the fullest extent Kallus would let him get away with.

Glancing down at Fenn nearly put him right over the edge. The man was on his knees in his armor, looking up at Kallus with a mischievous glint his eyes that said he knew precisely what he was doing in choosing this location for a quickie. Pretty lips, stretched wide around his cock while that hand worked the rest of his length so well…

The tip of his tongue pressed into the slit just right, and Kallus was done. He bit his knuckles as his orgasm raced through him, out through his dick, and Fenn swallowed around him. Thankful for the wall that was behind him, Kallus leaned back against it, dropped his hand from his mouth, panting, looking down at the Mandalorian at his feet. Fenn stood, tucked Kallus away, put him back in order.

"You look so good like that," he said, and leaned in for a kiss.

Kallus granted it to him, because he was too tired to resist, and because Fenn liked it when he got greedy trying to taste himself in the older man's mouth. "Don't you dare come without me," he murmured when they parted. "If it gets that bad, come and find me, and I'll return the favor."

Fenn shivered, but nodded. "Okay." He glanced at the hallway. "We should be going. We've both got responsibilities. I'll see you tonight."

Kallus nodded. "Yes. Tonight." Fenn was going to get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for indulging me and reading! You're the best!  
> Feel free to point out any typos I've missed, guys. There are a lot of words in this.  
> \---
> 
> Some of these links go to Legends articles. I'm aware. But we can have fun?
> 
> 1: [Denon](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Denon)  
> 2: [Ecumenopolis](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ecumenopolis)  
> 3: [High-Human culture](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Human_High_Culture). I've also just been making up laws and customs on Denon.  
> 4: IOs: Intelligence Operatives  
> 5: [Grizmallt](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Grizmallt)Surprise! We know next to get it, so I'm making shit up.  
> 6: I have entirely made up this world's culture. Fight me.  
> 7: [Waltzing basics](https://youtu.be/n8PIcO4_S5Q)  
> 8: [Like some of you weren't hearing this.](https://youtu.be/lL4L4Uv5rf0)  
> 9: [All the spoilers about Eli Vanto you never wanted](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Eli_Vanto)  
> 10: [Gesture 1](https://i.imgur.com/N8ymJIs.jpg)  
> 11: [Gesture 2](https://i.imgur.com/eMItDTP.jpg)  
> 12: [Gesture 3](https://i.imgur.com/EGjLz8c.jpg)  
> 13: [Position 4](https://i.imgur.com/O2WeiTg.jpg) *IMAGE IS NSFW*


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kallus's heart was pounding, but he remembered to bow with his husband. Having Kanan at his back, Fenn next to him, and three IOs in his line of sight were all that kept him projecting an outward sense of calm. Like he had twenty years ago, his father radiated a sense of power and confidence that Kallus tended to associate with the man's square jawline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter deals with drug use during interrogation and mentions of past torture. Also a bit of hypocritical homophobia during the interrogation, but that's more just attempting to break the prisoner. Pyro_Turk is a very patient proofreader. Updates will be slower: my resource only position has given me full time hours for this month. Yay???  
>  **Chapter Warnings:** Interrogation through Homophobic Language
> 
>  
> 
> _See End Notes for chapter relevant[Quick Step](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10905903/chapters/24247476) and [Tango](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10954095/chapters/24380040) side story links._ **The paragraph with a large link is a NSFW story.**

They were on their way out the door to the second and hopefully final party of the evening when Wedge pulled him aside in a semi-private section of their hotel suite. "Papa," he said, and glanced away to where Fenn was fussing over straightening the gown he'd made Sabine put on for the evening1, "I think I keep forgetting how to dance or something."

Kallus frowned down at the young man, and made a critical adjustment to Wedge's sandy brown hair. It didn't want to stay in place: a trend that had held true for their entire stay on Denon so far. They had been here for four days so far, and he and Fenn had been switching off days fighting with it. "What do you mean?" he asked as he gently gripped Wedge's shoulders to steer him into the bathroom of the master suite he and Fenn shared. The stronger gel they'd ended up using on Sabine's hair for tonight was in there, and he sat the boy down on the stool.

"This afternoon on the dance floor, people kept staring at me," Wedge mumbled. Kallus frowned at him, and rested a hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met in the mirror, though Kallus hardly recognized himself. No beard, no sideburns, and brown hair the color of tree bark with green eyes looked weird on him: what was more strange was that putting a similar coloring to Wedge and Fenn Rau made the young pilot look as though he was by some miracle their biological son.

"Speak up, dear boy," Kallus gently chided as he removed his hand and set to work on Wedge's hair. "Why do you feel they were staring?"

Wedge sighed, but didn't drop his head down. He'd done that earlier and Kallus had slightly snapped at him, which had gotten Kallus into trouble with Fenn for raising his voice to one of their children - as it should have according to the laws of the culture that was their cover. The punishment was swiftly administered with Wedge out of the room, the bedroom and bathroom doors sealed and locked, and Kallus biting on a washcloth to keep down the noises he made, but the spanking had hurt, just as the practice ones administered on Yavin IV had.

Hours later, Kallus's cheeks still stung if he sat.

At least the surveillance team hadn't teased him over it like they had over the blowjob he'd given Fenn in the shower the night before.

"A lot of people stopped to watch. I don't want to embarrass the family or cause any trouble for Father."

Nothing he'd heard around the room had suggested it was anything of the sort, but he could speak to Fenn and see. There would also be a check in with the surveillance team soon regarding any chatter they'd picked up. Kallus took his meaning, and nodded to show he understood: Wedge was concerned about blowing their cover.

"After I have your hair back under control, we can speak with him, if that will reassure you, Wystan2."

"Thank you, papa," Wedge said. Kallus smiled, and continued working at Wedge's hair. His own had been a pain at this age too, when he was fresh out of the Academy and had been accepted as a candidate into the Imperial Security Bureau. It had taken quite a long time to train it to the point that he could quickly tame it into staying slicked back as he wanted it.

A knock at the bathroom door turned his head - a firm grip on Wedge's held him in place - it was Kanan, come to check on them. "Pardon the interruption: my lord wished to know if you two were finished yet."

Perfectly polite: Kanan had taken to his role with far more grace than Ezra had. "Not quite, thank you. Wy's hair is sticking up the back again. I'm sure we'll be out momentarily."

A grin turned up the corners of Kanan's face. Ezra's hair, he'd been told, had been cut short because it refused to behave otherwise. "I will so inform your husband," he said with a curt bow, and left the room.

"Maybe we should cut your hair short," Kallus muttered as Wedge's hair almost did what he needed it to do, but not quite. He sighed.

"It's fine, isn't it?" Wedge was sulking just a little over the threat to his hair. Kallus eyed him in the mirror, looking at the overall picture. Honestly, he doubted Fenn would approve, and shook his head.

He applied water to the comb he was using and went back at the errant locks. "Please hold still. This is an important event, and we must look our best." If they'd been going to the home of someone who wasn’t a Viceroy, Kallus might be tempted, but this man was well-known in the Inner Rim and the Core for the parties he threw. Wedge had to look the part of the up-and-coming diplomat. He used a more firm voice with Wedge than he had before, trying to impart to him that he was speaking in his role as the commander of this mission. A spark of understanding was visible in Wedge's eyes when they next met, and he nodded.

"I understand, papa."

"Well, I don't," came Fenn's voice from the door. He was the perfect picture of a loving husband trying very hard not to be too impatient. "Saffron3 and I have been ready for ages and - are you having another go at his hair, my love?"

Exasperation colored Fenn's voice and face. "It was sticking up all in back, My Lord Husband," he replied, and stepped back from Wedge's hair looking satisfied. "There. Don't lean your head back against anything, or it's going to happen again."

"I won't. Thank you." Wedge stood up, and patiently let Kallus look him over. Kallus nodded his approval and gestured for him to be on his way.

Fenn stopped him from passing back with a raised hand. "I heard a lot about you at the last party." The raised hand ended up on Wedge's shoulder as Fenn smiled at him. Seeing Rau with brown hair and brown eyes and a well-trimmed and colored beard was absolutely bizarre. Watching him encourage the teenagers under their care was not: the man was an experienced and exceptional leader and it showed through best in the way he handled the kids for which they were currently responsible. "You danced very well: I even received a marriage proposal for you."

Wedge looked appropriately horrified, Kallus thought. Hell, Kallus was horrified. Vultures, all of them. "Please tell me you refused, Father."

Fenn laughed, and released Wedge. "I refused. You're not ready for marriage. I wanted to let you know, in case you were concerned by the staring."

"Uh… thanks? I think."

"Go on," Fenn said. "We'll be right behind you."

Kallus set down the things he'd used to tame Wedge's hair and used the sonic sink to get the gel off of his hands before approaching Fenn, who was still loitering in the doorway. He wrapped an arm around Kallus's waist and pulled him in close for a lingering kiss. "You look divine in that tunic," he murmured, pulling away to kiss over his neck. All of the tunics Kallus had for this mission were different from the high-collared ones Fenn and Wedge wore: his all had draped collars. Fenn was enjoying it because it mean he had easy access to Kallus's neck and collarbone whenever they had a rare moment of privacy, which meant he had a very easy way to wind up his lover. The hand on his waist wandered low enough to grab a handful of his still-sore backside. "Does it still hurt?"

Considering Kallus was attempting to squirm away, he thought the answer was obvious. "Yes," he hissed, and attempted to tug away more obviously.

Fenn's hands reached up to grab his wrists, and he raised an eyebrow. "You forget yourself, Kenelm4," he warned quietly. "Love, calm down. Don't make me have to correct your behavior a second time today. I'm to have access to your body when I please, and you're to answer my questions without fuss."

"My apologies, My Lord Husband," he murmured with his eyes averted, and leaned forward to rest his head on Fenn's shoulder as the man rest his hands on Kallus's hips. "It still hurts."

Fenn was silent for a moment, but Kallus didn't want to risk looking up, nor did he particularly want to move. These parties were getting more dangerous as they met people who were better connected, and each one had high risks associated with them. Staying here in Fenn's arms was safer. "I will attend to your pain when we return for the night as I promised earlier; however, we now run the risk of being late. Come on. It's the last party of the evening, my love, and when the kids are in bed for the night I'll take great care of you." Fenn pushed him upright, gave him a small smile and chaste kiss, and lead him out into the main room to join the others with a hand on the small of his back.  
\---

If anything was going to go wrong at one of the galas to which Baron Fitzroy5 Lus'hek's6 family had been invited, Kallus was certain it would be this one. The Denon senator was a well-connected man and many higher-ranking military and political officials had been invited to attended, including their target. Lieutenant Andor made an excellent chauffeur, and had kept the vehicle free of audio and tracking devices so they could be briefed on the way to each gala. He tuned the speeder's audio channel to the correct station, and let Rex give them the break down of the guest list - or what they knew of it.

"This is going to be a packed one. Aside from several Core World senators, there are several minor and higher-ranking military staff on the list - Zeb's looking through the names now - some celebrities, and Vanto as well."

Kallus was glad of that. Establishing enough of an identity to get into a party with Vanto present had been tough, but worthwhile. "Any familiar names we need to look out for?"

"Nothing you've flagged yet," Zeb chimed in. "Wait - Oh, karabast."

"What?" Sabine asked, leaning forward in her seat.

There was some murmuring from the other end as everyone in the car exchanged glances. "A few names you'd flagged before we landed just popped up: Captains Brandei  
and Harbid*, Maeve7 Òrfhlaith8, and Tancred9 Kallus."

Silence fell over the group for a moment as the implication of the last name settled. Ezra knew the third name from his movie nights with Sabine and Hera and seemed stuck on that. "You flagged that hot actress from like twenty years ago?" he asked after a moment. Kallus gave him a dirty look.

"I rather think you're missing the broader picture here," Fenn replied, giving the boy a disapproving look before laying a hand on Kallus's shoulder. "Is Tancred Kallus a relation?"

Kallus took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy for Sabine and Ezra to hear. Both kids had weird family issues of their own. "And Maeve Òrfhlaith, though Òrfhlaith is her stage name - it was my grandmother's maiden name. They are my parents, though I've not seen or spoken to them in damn near twenty years. Both support the Emperor, but family tradition is important to the older Coruscanti families, and though I was an Imperial, I broke with ours. As the only child, I should have gone into politics as my father's successor, and instead I went to the Royal Imperial, graduated at the top of my class, and became an ISB agent." He looked down at his hands, at the wedding band on the right index finger that had come to be so grounding. Taking it off when this was over was going to be awful. "I was disowned the day I entered Royal Imperial, and I was fine with that."

Ezra looked ticked, slightly panicked, red about the face, and was glaring out the window. Kallus desperately did not want to know why Ezra was blushing: it was probably related to the "hot actress" comment. Sabine looked sad. Kanan reached over and patted his hand. Kallus patted the top of his in return. "I'm so sorry," came Hera's voice through the speakers. A few weeks ago it was so strange to receive comfort from this people. Now giving and receiving it was still a little strange, but it was more routine. Expected. It helped.

"It's okay," Kallus said, and meant it. "Some of you may not understand, and that's fine, but I've had twenty years to make my peace with it. I'm okay with the situation, and I dealt with my side of it long ago. Honestly, they weren't that great to begin with. I'm not missing out."

Thankful the speeder's windows were opaque, so no one outside could see as he leaned over to put a hand on Ezra's shoulder, and reached for Sabine's hand with the other. Wedge could be trusted not to do something stupidly impulsive. These two could easily turn into well-meaning idiots when family was involved. "Look at me," he ordered as gently as he could.

They listened, at least. "Do you trust me?" he asked, and looked both of them in the eye in turn. "At least with my own affairs, _do you trust me_?"

"Yes," Sabine answered, squeezing his hand. Kallus looked at Ezra.

"Yeah." Ezra sighed. "I know I give you a hard time, but yeah, you've really changed. I do trust you."

That was… good. Unexpected, but good. "Then I need you to trust me now, and stick to the plan. Family is important to you, I get that, but if you blow this mission on some sort of misguided attempt to defend my honor or get my parents to reconcile with me, you'll be scrubbing mynock dung off of ships for the rest of the rebellion instead of out here fighting. Do you understand me?" Kallus's voice was gentle, but incredibly stern. A glance over at Wedge made sure he knew that this included him, and the young man nodded.

"Okay, okay," Sabine muttered. Ezra followed suit.

"Good. They've probably been told I'm dead anyway: there's no need to hurt them by making them think otherwise, or endanger them by realizing I'm there, and then making them choose between their child and the Empire."

To a chorus of grumbling, Kallus released them and leaned back against the seat rest, the side of his face resting against Fenn's shoulder. This was going to be exhausting. There was always some small chance his mother would recognize him anyway: he was her son. Mothers tended to know those things didn't they? "Rex, continue the briefing," he ordered, and let Fenn grasp his left hand in his right. Playing with Fenn's wedding band was something of a nervous habit as well, but it gave Kallus something to fiddle with as they got through the rest of the guest list.

"If Vanto is here, there's a chance that ISB could show up, or Grand Admiral Thrawn himself could appear. In that case, I'm not sure how long any of us would be safe. If anybody matching the description of the Grand Admiral or an ISB officer shows up, if the _Chimaera_ arrives, I am to be informed immediately. No one is to panic or start shooting at anything or anyone. If it's possible, we may grab Vanto and leave Denon tonight."

There was a round of acknowledgements, and the group spent the next few minutes discreetly arming themselves with weapons that wouldn't be detected by door security, going over their roles, their fake names, and the rules of behavior for the night.

They'd been in the gala all of fifteen minutes before both of the children had been whisked off to the dance floor by other teenagers with Fenn's leave. Wedge had quickly become popular with the local boys for his growing skill with the waltz, and Sabine was a natural on her feet. Kallus watched them protectively on the upstairs balcony from his place at Fenn's side, using them as an excuse to examine that area for their target. He'd coached Fenn well, he thought, as the man handled the extremely boring topics quite skillfully. It meant he didn't have to pay too much attention or concern himself with guiding him: playing the role of the silent, obedient submissive worked to their advantage.

It was for the best: at a public function like this, according to the Grizmallt expert they'd been lent by a senator, it was the duty of a Baron's consort to keep his mouth shut. Kallus's sole function here was as "arm candy". He was there to make to his "husband" look better, by being decorated with the riches of his lover's station, well-trained, perfectly behaved, to tend to the children, and to dote on the man who provided everything for his family. An example of that world's marriage vows had been provided to them, and it read to Kallus almost like a collaring ceremony for those in the Core Worlds who were very much into bondage.

Obedience to his husband was absolutely paramount. It had been mentioned no less than twenty-seven times in the vows, along with strangely phrased euphemisms about his body not belonging to him, but to his husband. The expert explained those as Kallus needing at least to pretend to be completely available to all of Fenn's needs: were he to order Kallus to blow every man in the room at a gala, he'd smirked, Kallus would be more than happy to comply. On Grizmallt, consorts ran the household, managed the servants, raised the children, and - most importantly - obeyed and pleasured their spouses.

Their expert had no idea what the two of them had been getting up to in what little free time they had.

That expert had also insisted on watching Fenn drill Kallus on the various rules they both had to follow in public, and then on the different positions they had to know and Kallus had to assume. It had been humiliating and somewhat arousing to be in some of those positions meant only for the privacy of the bedroom in front of a near-stranger. The man - Chad Algar10, aid to Senator Mon Mothma, _how did she put up with him?_ \- had nodded his approval with a sneer and said something to effect of, "At least his body is reacting appropriately: perhaps you can pull this off _if_ \- and that is a big if - he can learn to fully surrender control to you."

He'd tried to get up from the "wait"11 position to deck the man - Algar had been insulting him most of the last hour - and nearly made it. Fenn had given him a very stern look as he'd pushed Kallus back to his knees with a hand on his shoulder, a minute shake of his head, and coldly thanked the man for his input before showing him the door. Kallus had been left on the floor, hands clenched into fists on his knees spread precisely 30 centimeters apart, and eyes forward, as Fenn locked the door.

Cold fury had been in the Mandalorian's eyes as he'd approached the ex-agent on his floor. Kallus had looked up at him, wary and defiant. Algar had been nothing but combative the entire day, and having to coach them as a couple was making him more and more intolerable as they drew closer to departing for Denon. Personally, he suspected it was because Fenn wouldn't let the advisor take the proverbial leash to train Kallus. There'd been a quiet row between Fenn and Algar a few days back regarding him that Kallus was pretending he hadn't heard: Algar thought he could break Kallus in faster than the Mandalorian was managing to do. Fenn refused to push him much faster because was playing the role of _his husband_ , it was crucial that they build some affection for each other, and Kallus was progressing just fine when some old creep wasn't contemplating ways to sneak him away and take advantage of him.

The insults had begun shortly thereafter.

Fenn had taken a deep breath, and ordered him to stand in the far corner of the room at attention. It was a much more gentle punishment than he had expected. Kallus heard the older man pace around behind him for a few minutes, then sit down on the bunk with a soft exhale. "Come here, Kallus," he'd said, and gestured for the Intelligence Officer to kneel at his feet, facing him.

Warily, he'd obeyed. The tenderness of the kiss Fenn had greeted him with had been an excellent surprise. "You can't punch - or attempt to punch - our allies for being rotten assholes," he chided when he pulled away. "Although I agree Algar deserved it. I will not be inviting him back to watch our progress: his attitude toward you is intolerable."

"There's a saying on some of the Core Worlds," Kallus said, resting his head on Fenn's lap when guided to do so. His lover ran a hand through his hair and Kallus relaxed immediately into the touch. "'People named 'Chad' can't help how they are.'"*

There was a chuckle above him. "It's damaging to make up excuses for others. No wonder he takes no personal accountability." The hand in his hair stopped. "I think we've had enough practice for today. Join me up here, dear heart?" Fenn requested.

Kallus looked up at him, not surprised to see that, yes, it really was a request. Outside of preparing for their roles for this mission there was no expectation on either side that this sexual relationship would continue, and yet both of them had been making excuses to see each other whenever possible. To have sex whenever possible. It made Kallus feel like a teenager again, sneaking in quickies wherever they could. They'd managed it against the hull of the _Ghost_ at 0323 that morning (Fenn had snuck in and pulled him out of bed), Kallus's sleeve stuffed into his mouth to quiet his cries of pleasure and Fenn buried inside him, fucking into him frantically because they simply hadn't been able to wait until any later in the day.

Two days before that Kallus had ambushed the Mandalorian and hauled him into a disused supply closet that locked from the inside because he had an unexpected extra fifteen minutes between briefings that afternoon and absolutely nothing sounded better to him than fifteen extra minutes of taking Fenn apart via that thick cock in his mouth. That afternoon he'd been given a hand job in Rau's fighter, then brought back to his room, fucked properly in the Mandalorian's bed, fucked in the 'fresher, and then brought back to the _Ghost_ to work with the kids and the Jedi on their roles in the mission. Honestly, he'd only intended to walk Fenn back to his quarters because they were having a good conversation, but then he'd been invited in and fallen asleep on the man's bed after a long while spent just kissing.

He'd woken up early to a tongue and fingers enthusiastically preparing him, and then rode Fenn unhurriedly with their hands clasped together, the wedding rings they were supposed to be adjusting to still on their right index fingers. The sex had been rapidly becoming less and less about the mission and forming a bond, and more and more about how often they could get at each other in a day. By the time they had left, they were having sex no less than twice a day, and Kallus was more or less living in Fenn's quarters: he hadn't spent the night on the _Ghost_ in two weeks, save the morning he'd been woken up for sex outside it.

By the time they had left, it wasn't _just sex_ for him anymore, because he'd gone and done something absolutely stupid and let his guard down. He'd started developing more than affection for Fenn.

Kallus had to push the thoughts away.

Fenn gently nudged him. "Are you all right, darling?" he murmured.

"Fine, My Lord Husband," he replied in the same low voice, looking up at him with a soft smile, and then back to the dance floor. There was no way he could discuss what he had been thinking of while they were on Denon. That was a fast way to blow their cover and end up dead. "They've grown up so well."

"Ah," Fenn said, giving him one of those charming half-smiles he did so well. Kallus heard a couple of nearby women cooing over what an adorable couple they were. "That they have. Wystan is certainly starting to come into his own."

Kallus leaned against Fenn a little more. "Saffron's doing brilliantly as well. She shines wherever we take her. Wystan, however, may need rescuing at some point soon, beloved," he murmured. "That's his tenth partner."

"Eleventh - looks they're about to change again. Viceroy?" Fenn called in a normal speaking voice, turning to one of the men to with whom he'd been talking to before he'd cut into Kallus's thoughts. "Who is that man that's caught my son's eye?"

The viceroy who had invited them was an old, but kindly man - not the sort you'd think would fully support Imperial policies - with thin white hair, liver spots, and sagging skin. He was the sort of old man that probably carried hard candies to hand out to the little ones. Kallus genuinely liked him. He leaned over the railing where many of the adults were sequestered for drinks and conversation and looked down. "Let me see. Your boy is that dazzling beauty in the bright red coat, isn't he? Nice choice, that one, Kenelm."

"Thank you, Viceroy Dorja12."

"That is Lord Vanto, I believe. Not sure what his first name is or where he's from. He's spending Ascension Week with one of the Emperor's advisors. I was introduced to him in passing a few nights ago. Nice man, good heart, a little weird."

A very familiar set of footsteps came up behind them. Outwardly, Kallus didn't tense, save for his grip on Fenn's arm. "That's hardly how I'd describe him, Viceroy." That voice… it had aged. His parents were in their late seventies now, and it was only normal for them to sound it. Fenn rested his left hand over Kallus's right as they turned in response to the tighter grip, Kanan shifting behind them. He was quite glad the Jedi'd had the foresight to send Ezra to keep an eye on Wedge and Sabine.

"Lord Kallus, what a pleasant surprise," Dorja greeted with a slight bow and a tone that cheerfully implied his presence was anything but either pleasant or a surprise. "May I present Baron Fitzroy Lus'hek of Grizmallt and his consort Kenelm."

Kallus's heart was pounding, but he remembered to bow with his husband. Having Kanan at his back, Fenn next to him, and three IOs in his line of sight were all that kept him projecting an outward sense of calm. Like he had twenty years ago, his father radiated a sense of power and confidence that Kallus tended to associate with the man's square jawline. Today he was wearing all black: it was intimidating on him, even with the thinning white hair, the wrinkles around his light brown eyes, and the liver spots on his skin that had gone somewhat translucent in places.

Wait - he was wearing all black during Ascension Week? A time of "joy" for the upper class supporters of the Emperor? Kallus suspected his family had recently been notified of his death - or told he had defected, and they were considering him dead. "Gentlemen, this is Lord Tancred Kallus, senior policy advisor to our glorious Emperor." So that's what he was doing now? It figured. A crotchety old bastard like that would be perfect in the role.

"A pleasure," Fenn greeted, charming enough for both of them. Kallus was pleased to have to remain silent, to be expected to keep his eyes averted and posture submissive for someone this powerful.

 _It's been twenty years and they may have been told you're dead instead of a traitorous disgrace. Pretend you don't know them and it'll be fine,_ he reminded himself, and forced himself to return his focus to where it belonged: the kids, and his husband.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Wedge had stopped dancing with the older man, though they were still talking. Sabine was chatting with a group of girls her own age, but was carefully keeping an eye on Wedge. Ezra, too, was sticking close to him. Vanto had drawn him off to the side of the lower room to talk, Wedge on his arm as he had been taught. Something about the situation made him nervous.

Kanan was gently prodding at his mind, and Kallus let him in. It was almost like someone knocking at the door. He couldn't really speak to the Jedi, but he could offer up the impression that he badly wanted someone else to interrupt Wedge and Vanto, to drag Wedge back to the dance floor if they had to. Kallus watched the situation as discreetly as he could until one of their own politely interrupted to ask Wedge for a dance. Fenn glanced over at the pair then, in the middle of his conversation with Kallus's father, seeming to watch with fatherly pride as Wedge bowed politely to Vanto, and accepted the new partner.

"Your children are quite the talk of the social circles here," said a woman also dressed all in black, coming up to join the group.

Kallus's stomach clenched painfully. Okay, maybe he wasn't as over being disowned as he thought he was. Later tonight he would make himself sit and remember all the awful things that had happened leading up to his decision to go to the junior academy and then to Royal Imperial: right now, he needed to stay in the moment.

The group of men turned as one to face her, and Viceroy Dorja's face lit up. "Ah, my darling Maeve, how good it is to see you!" That greeting he meant. His mother had always been much more pleasant than his father, and her long career as an actress had given her an infinite amount of patience and the ability to seem kind when she needed to.

"Viceroy Dorja, thank you." She sweetly kissed his cheek, and took her husband's hand. He brought it to his lips for a kiss, and she gave him a small smile. That was completely weird. Had they actually fallen in love once there was no child in their lives? When Kallus had been growing up they'd completely loathed each other.

"Baron Fitzroy Lus'hek, I presume?" she asked, addressing Fenn directly, and before either the viceroy or his father could open their mouths to take over introductions. She'd always loved steamrolling over his father like that.

He released Kallus only enough to bow politely at the waist. "You presume correctly, ma'am." Fenn gestured to Kallus, pulling him in close again. "My consort, Kenelm Lus'hek."

Kallus bowed, kept his voice soft. If either of his parents were going to recognize him, it would be her. "A pleasure, ma'am." In the moment that his eyes were raised enough to catch details, he took her appearance in. She was still beautiful, with her heart-shaped face and green eyes, even though her hair was white - a stark contrast to the black of her mourning gown. Her curly hair was as full and bouncy as it had been when he was a child and their hair color had been the same shade of strawberry blond. No liver spots dotted her fair, freckled skin, and she had far fewer wrinkles than his father. Good. She seemed healthy.

"Lady Maeve Kallus - oh, but please, just Maeve is fine. I've heard quite a lot about your children over the last few days." Kallus could feel her eyes lingering on him. "Wystan, in particular, has caught the attention of several young men."

It was no trouble at all for them to share a proud smile over "their" children: after all, they had watched Sabine and Wedge work hard for this mission, to learn an entirely new culture that greatly contradicted those in which they had been raised, and to form a bond with both of them. "I have certainly noticed," Fenn replied. "I had to turn down a marriage proposal just this afternoon on his behalf."

She gave him a sad smile. "I remember when my son was about that age - though he was a bit younger when those started - my dear Tancred could hardly keep with the offers of arranged marriages we received on Kentigern's behalf. I do hope your son took it in stride: ours, he…" His mother trailed off, unable to finish as tears welled up in her eyes. Yes, apparently they had been informed of something regarding him, and recently. "I'm sorry," she continued, nearly breathless, and turned away.

Kallus watched out of the corner of his eye as his father stepped forward and rested his hands on both of his mother's shoulders as she trailed off. She leaned into him, and even he looked upset. "Forgive her. I think perhaps we should return to our hotel, Maeve."

"Yes, I think you're right."

They said their goodbyes and left, and Kallus found himself unable to look away as his mother's eyes lingered on him for another moment. Did she know?

"Terribly sad, what they've been through," said Dorja, as they headed downstairs to where the dancing was taking place. "A week ago they were informed their only child was killed in the line of duty. The memorial service Grand Admiral Thrawn himself led helped, but Maeve sees his face everywhere still. She thinks they're lying since there's been no body and they won't release any of his possessions or his accounts. They hadn't spoken to their son in a couple of decades, I think, and they're dealing with regret over it."

"I can't imagine what that must be like," Kallus said softly, glancing across the room at Sabine and Wedge. So his mother was suspicious of the Navy. He tucked that bit of information away for later. The teens saw them and came over at once, mindful of the rule that had been drilled into them before leaving Yavin IV that they were to check in with Fenn if they saw him enter a room they were in at one of those big parties.

Both of them looked a little out of breath, cheeks flushed, but otherwise fine. "Father, papa," Sabine greeted, looking pleased with herself. Kallus wondered what she had done to look so smug. "Viceroy. Have you three come down to dance now?" She wrapped an arm around Kallus's free arm. "Wystan's made a lovely new _friend_." Ah. Pretending to be a loving older sister to let them know the initial contact had gone well.

Wedge colored on cue at the subtle emphasis Sabine put on the word "friend". "Saffron, don't tease your brother," Fenn chided gently. "I cannot speak for Viceroy Dorja, but your papa and I would be delighted to dance. We've heard nothing but compliments regarding the two of you all night."

"I would be honored to have the pleasure of a dance," Viceroy Dorja chimed in, and that settled the matter.

Most of the evening, of course, he spent as Fenn's partner, or leading Sabine or Wedge. Viceroy Dorja was also an excellent partner, and quite congenial company: Kallus was disappointed they were on opposite sides of the war, as he would have made for a pleasant ally. Thus far, the evening was going well. Every incoming report from surveillance he heard suggested they were gathering plenty of information: he and Fenn were even both able to dance with Vanto a couple of times, and have a couple of friendly, casual conversations.

Trouble didn't come until the night was winding down, and a report in his ear informed him the _Chimaera_ had made orbit. Not a moment later a gentle hand was on the small of his back, guiding him further from the crowd for some space. "What are the chances he takes Vanto tonight?" asked Hera over the earpiece.

"I don't know," Kallus murmured, watching where Wedge and Sabine were still conversing with Vanto and Viceroy Dorja. "Wystan, dear, invite him back with us for a drink, see how he reacts." Taking Vanto now was the best chance they had. He wasn't going to risk Thrawn getting his hands on the man.

"He's agreeing," Hera said. "He might not know Thrawn's in orbit."

Kallus considered their options. "Please may we head back for the night, My Lord Husband?" he pretended to request. "Surely you must be ready to sit and allow me to help you relax now." Fenn gave him a small smile, and brought the back of Kallus's hand to his lips so he could brush a kiss over the wedding ring. "But of course, darling."

They collected Sabine and Wedge and their bodyguards - Vanto in tow - and headed back to the hotel. Vanto never made it that far. One of the backup plans they had worked out was for Kanan or Ezra to knock Vanto out using the Force. The scanner they'd brought for subcutaneous implants was small, easily concealed, and it worked to find and remove tracking devices. Vanto had a couple in him. Once those were removed and his clothes were completely changed to rid him of any other potential trackers, all of it was thrown together into a passing speeder. Breaking it apart would have clued the Imperials in too quickly that something was wrong.

IOs were at the hotel now packing their things, and would meet them at the rendezvous point. Kallus had their team and the surveillance team head right to the ships that would get them out. Their timing was good. They had just boarded, passed inspection, and been cleared for takeoff in an opposite flight pattern than that of an incoming shuttle from the _Chimaera_. Everyone kept their cool. All he needed was for everyone to stay calm for a few thousand kilometers more.

Then they'd left the planet's gravity well, and stars faded into star lines.

Against all odds, they'd made it.  
\---

Kallus made them stop a few light years out to scan the hull of the three ships for tracking devices. Two were removed, the interiors were checked, and found to be clean. They changed course again, and then three more times, because there was no way in hell Kallus was willing to risk being back in Thrawn's hands or giving any of his people up to that sadistic bastard. At their second stop, he called command to report they had acquired the target, were sending the third of their three GX-1 yachts13 home, and would be proceeding under communications blackout until he had completed the next objective.

It took ages for the encrypted reply to come through the decoder, but when it had, he steeled himself to do his duty to the rebellion: "Proceed. Inform us of the outcome of your investigation before taking further steps. Command out."

And now, they were on their way to find somewhere nice and quiet to lay low for a while so he could question Vanto.

Kanan and Zeb were currently getting the prisoner comfortable in the quarters assigned to him, with nice, tight cuffs Kallus had personally examined for flaws. Vanto was to be shut in with no conversation and no movement except for mealtimes. Kallus didn't care how uncomfortable it made anyone: he wanted eyes on the prisoner, and the prisoner immobilized, at all times. The man could be softened up until they arrived. Twice now, he'd gotten into an argument with Ezra and Kanan over how to treat Vanto: an argument Kallus had been forced to pull rank in order to win.

He'd wanted to stay and make sure Vanto had been properly secured, but Fenn had left the ship in Sabine's capable hands and come to pull him away. The captain's cabin was between the bridge and the cabin in which Vanto was being guarded, so they'd hear him if he tried to get by them and to Sabine. Fenn was quick about locking the door behind them and guiding Kallus to sit on the bunk. Would they be sharing it later? It was certainly big enough for two, and Kallus had just realized he'd not counted himself when assigning crew between the ships.

If Fenn wished for this to be over between them, Kallus could always sleep in the gunner's turret, if he slept at all. Really though, he ought to go make some caf. If Thrawn caught up to them he needed to be awake to give commands. This was closest thing he'd had to a family in twenty years. He didn't have any right whatsoever to call them that, but he could still protect them. They didn't have to know that he cared about them for him to protect them, and he was fine with that, really. In fact, if Fenn had brought him in here for a break up, he would just go make some caf and head up to the gun turret to -

Steady hands wrapped around his own, and that's when he realized he was shaking. They were given a squeeze before Fenn knelt in front of him to gently pry off his boots. The ornate jewelry on his wrists and neck came next, and then the embroidered jacket, elaborately beaded tunic, and expensive trousers. He pushed Kallus to lie back on the bunk, and sat to remove his own elaborate clothing. Down to only his briefs, Fenn slid in behind him, his back to the bulkhead wall.

Kallus let him drape his right arm over his chest, and moved his to grab it so their hands were tangled together. Fenn pulled him close, their bodies flush, and slid their legs together. "I'm right here, dear heart," he murmured. Little kisses were dropped over the sensitive skin of his neck. "You're safe, we're safe. You got us all in and out. You did that."

He shuddered, not sure if it was a shiver or a prelude to tears. Almost desperately, his fingers played with the ring on Fenn's finger. Were they safe? They weren't being fired on, so maybe. " _We_ did. It wasn't just me." Hell, he barely recognized his own voice, and he didn't know why. Tears were building up behind his eyes but it didn't feel like relief. "Shit, why am I - "

Another kiss, this time right behind his ear. It was Fenn's favorite spot to kiss when they were lying together like this, and it was familiar and comforting enough that something inside him snapped and a tear fell. Perhaps his body took it as a cue that the more dangerous part of the mission was over, and he could go back to being himself.

A cue that he could mourn for any possibility of reconciliation with his parents. Denon was most likely the last time he would see them, and he didn't get to say goodbye. There would be no chance for them to apologize to him, as he had done to them fourteen years ago, and been rebuffed.

He rolled over to bury his face in the Mandalorian's chest instead, a movement which earned him an arm wrapped around his back and another stroking through his hair. "You didn't expect either of them to be mourning you," Fenn said softly, and kissed the top of Kallus's head. "That's my guess. You didn't expect your parents to mourn you or remember you fondly, and so you weren't prepared when they did, and you weren't prepared to not get to say goodbye."

More tears came - blast it, he'd thought he was done crying over his family a long time ago - and Kallus couldn't stop it. Fenn held him through it: didn't tell him to stop crying, try to reassure him, or attempt to suggest a solution. He only held Kallus, and let him cry into his chest, gently rubbing his back, or running a hand through his hair. It was the most accepted and comforted he had felt in a very long. Eventually, the tears stopped, and he felt better. Not perfect, but better.

He pulled away, and looked up at Fenn, sure he probably looked kriffing awful. "Thank you," he said, and leaned in to press a kiss to his shoulder.

"For what?" Fenn asked, perplexed. He brushed a lot of hair out of Kallus's eyes.

"For not trying to fix the situation, and just…" Kallus didn't know how to describe it.

Fenn kissed his forehead. "For just letting you cry. I understand, dear heart."

There was something about that… "You haven't called me that since we left Yavin IV." Even as he said it, Kallus thought that it couldn't be true, because Fenn had called him that so many times before they left. He hadn't though, and Kallus had _missed that endearment_.

"I haven't. I needed to have more of a distinction between where the line was as ourselves, and the roles we played for this mission. Somehow, that's what worked for me." Fenn reached down between them and took his right hand in his own.

Kallus sighed softly, and closed his eyes. That reminded him of something else they needed to discuss. "Where's the line between us, Fenn? Does this stop or do you still want something?"

 _Something_. It wasn't quite what he meant, but Kallus didn't think he had it in him to ask if Fenn still wanted _him_. Did Fenn find him attractive enough to want to continue this affair indefinitely? Of equal importance was whether or not Kallus wanted Fenn to want to continue the affair. A very large part of him most definitely did. He fiercely wanted to cling to this, to whatever it was they had.

Then there was another part of him, the part of him that worried, that planned, that was perpetually and secretly insecure. What if Fenn got to know him better, and found him wanting? How well would Kallus be able to handle the rejection that far along? There was also a very high chance that one of them would die for this rebellion, or have to make decisions while the life of the other versus the life of several others were at stake. It was compromising. It was dangerous. Either of them could conceivably be taken or hurt to get at the other.

Going forward would be a tactical misstep.

Kallus knew that, and yet he needed it like air, wanted it like water after a long hike through the jungle. Fenn Rau was able to ground him in a way no one else ever had. Fenn Rau gave him a sense of stability and discipline that he badly needed.

"I want you, Kentigern Kallus," Fenn murmured, pressing their foreheads together. "That's all."

Kallus made a disgusted noise. "Kent," he corrected. "If you ever use my full first name in bed again you won't get any sex for a month."

Fenn nodded, grinning. "I think that's fair. For now, is there anything I can do to help you rest before you interrogate our prisoner?"

"I can think of a few things," Kallus said with a smirk. "I have been dying to have your cock in my ass again for days, and I think it's exactly the thing you might be able to help me with."

"Sounds like my area of expertise," Fenn agreed. He was already starting to shift them around on the bed. "Let's see what I can do to help.  
\---

Several hours later, well rested and with his emotions under control, Fenn finally allowed him out of bed. He produced a soft, clean pair of black trousers, Kallus's favorite pair of boots, and a soft, dark blue tunic that had a plain black belt. Nothing on it would reveal anything to Vanto, but Kallus knew the tunic belonged to his lover. He wasn't about to complain: it smelled like him. Kallus used his fingers to comb his hair into some semblance of order, and then glanced down at his hand when the gold of his ring caught his eye. 

Did he leave it on or take it off?

Fenn was watching him from the edge of the bed where he sat to pull on his own boots. The Mandalorian hadn't taken his ring off either. "It's up to you, dear heart. Are you going to be giving him your real name?"

"I won't be giving him any of our real names."

"Hmm," Fenn stood, and came to stand in front of him. He took Kallus's right hand, brought it up to his mouth and kissed the ring again. There was a hint of a playful smile on his face and in his eyes. "I do like the mark of my ownership on you. If you wish to keep it on and discuss the rings later, I'm fine with that."

Kallus smirked. There was trying to be comforting, and then there was using it as an excuse to not have to admit to what he wanted. "You don't want to take yours off either."

"It is a nice ring."

"You can just say you like wearing it, Fenn," he said with a quiet chuckle, and made to draw away. The hand on his tightened, and the older man's face became a little more serious.

 

Another kiss was dropped on the ring, then the back of Kallus's hand. "I really do like you wearing it as well. Leave it on for now," he requested, lifting his other hand to brush over Kallus's slightly flushed cheek. 

As requests went, Fenn's was surprisingly honest and sweet. He was going to have to process this later, but could compartmentalize for now. "Come on. You need to relieve Sabine and I have a job to do. The sooner we can get this over with, the sooner we can come back here together." Kallus leaned forward, and pressed a chaste kiss to the shorter man's lips.

Chaste kisses farewell as they left to tend to their duties were not what his lover had in mind. Fenn pursued his lips, dropping his hands to pull Kallus in close by his hips with a very similar grip to the one he preferred to use during face-to-face sex. It wasn't a kiss so much as a promise of more to come later. Satisfied once he'd gotten a moan out of his lover, Fenn let him go with a cocky smirk, heading left out of their cabin to the cockpit, while Kallus grabbed the bag of tools Cassian Andor had stashed on the ship for him for this purpose and headed right to the heavily guarded cabin holding Eli Vanto. 

Ezra was waiting in the corridor. The young man looked like he'd been awake only for a couple of hours, which was when he should have relieved Kanan of duty. Kallus was here to relieve Zeb, technically. He was also here to do the less pleasant part of his job, and Ezra wasn't likely to handle it well. Bad memories were associated with Kallus and interrogation - he'd initially assisted in Governor Tarkin and Inquisitor's interrogation of Kanan, after all - and if Ezra was going to a problem, he needed to be prepared.

Kallus put a hand on Ezra's shoulder, and bent his head to look him in the eye. "What?" Ezra asked, grumbling.

"You know what I have to do now," Kallus responded gently. Ezra wouldn't look at him, so he made an effort to catch his eye. "I don't want to do it. I want nothing to do with this man at all, and less to do with interrogations. You do understand that I am doing this with extreme reluctance?"

Ezra sighed, and finally looked him in the eye, slumping a little. "Yeah, I mean, I can feel it. You're projecting a lot, but I don't like that we interrogate anybody, or that people who don't like to do it have to. If you're that uncomfortable with it General Draven should have sent someone from Interrogation15 with us so you had a specialist that could do the dirty work, considering who our target worked for. Works for? Did you tell them who he is?"

Kallus raised his other hand to stop the barrage of questions before Ezra could pick up his volume. "I did tell them, and High Command gave us the green light as-is anyway. That's a downside of having too many politicians making up your command staff: they think they grasp strategy because they think they understand politics. I don't disagree with you: but we must work with what we have. I need to know you're not going to interrupt out of righteous indignation for my following the training and orders General Draven gave me."

"This guy… he was Thrawn's boyfriend or something?"

"Or something. It's my job to find out. I need to you trust that I know what I'm doing." 

Ezra nodded. "Okay. I can do that."

"Good." Kallus patted his shoulder, turned, and entered the room.  
\---

After relieving Zeb, he'd administered the truth serum, then got Vanto sitting up, comfortable, and hooked to a special, portable scanner the Interrogation division of Intentions had trained him on while he waited for the intravenous solution to kick in. The scanner would monitor the subject's vitals to aid in determining lies from truths, and also so he could spot any adverse reactions to the truth drugs in advance of more obvious signs. Kanan and Zeb had let Vanto use the refresher earlier - and blindfolded him for the trip there and back - but he'd not been given water or anything else. Kallus would allow it soon.

"Good morning," he said, taking a seat next to the door, leaving Vanto alone on the bed. "I would apologize for the abruptness of our departure and your current condition, were I sorry. Do you know where you are, or why you have been taken captive?"

"No," Vanto said grimly, staring at him hard, mouth pressed into a line. "Though I admit, you had me fooled with your 'loyal Imperial family' routine. Are you pirates?"

Kallus raised an eyebrow at him. Pirates? Outsmarting several pirate gangs was how Thrawn had risen so quickly through the ranks. "I'm not here to tell you who I am," he said. "I'm here for information from you, Eli Vanto. Your cooperation may save lives."

"Releasing me to the Empire may save more."

A wry smile twisted the former ISB agent's lips. "Back to your former CO? I think not. You'll be staying with us for a while."

Vanto gave him a dirty look, and Kallus smiled more kindly at him. "Why am I here?" he asked, as though he'd decided he might as well find out.

"I work with an anti-slavery group," Kallus told him, leaning forward. It was completely true. "We've been tracking down - or trying track down - the slave ring that's been passing a group of lasats around the Inner and Mid Rim. You've been identified as a person of interest in this case, and my job is to make sure you we get every bit of useful information out of you regarding that group. I want to know what you know, I want to know who knows what you know, and I want to know who _might_ know what you know."

Vanto narrowed his eyes, and seemed to be staring into the distance as the younger man thought it over. "What will you do with the information if I give it to you, Kenelm Lus'hek?"

"If we can, we will proceed immediately to intercept and free the slaves. If not, we'll bide our time so we can rescue them with minimal or no loss of life." Kallus gestured to him. "What were you going to do with it?"

"Something very similar, though I was not planning to ally with all of you." Vanto gave him a small smile. "I saw Wystan's transcripts from his junior academy: though he decided to follow in your husband's supposed footsteps as a diplomat, his flight scores were impressive enough and he met enough of the qualifications for what I needed to go after these officers that I was going ask him to join me."

Kallus snorted. Wedge could fly circles around any of the Empire's best. _'Impressive enough'_. "How did you come by those?" He'd quietly mentioned to several people when prompted that Wedge had completed his junior academy year at the most prestigious academy on Grizmallt - he couldn't bear to send their youngest away - at the top of his class, but after finishing it that he'd chosen to follow in his father's footsteps. Sabine had decided to serve her Emperor by continuing her education at Royal Imperial, and was hopeful she would hear back any day now. His little girl was still trying to decide which track she wanted to complete, but she was devoted all the same.

[Telling those lies had made him sick for hours after the first party. Had they really been his children, he'd have followed through on the strange compulsion to peek into their rooms before retiring for the night as Kanan had done, but Kallus didn't have the right to do such a personal thing for them and he knew it.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10954095/chapters/24380040)

That was something he had locked away inside himself, this odd, almost paternal instinct, and refused to examine or share even with Fenn. He'd lied and made up something else that was bothering him, eyes begging Fenn not to pry further. So far, his lover hadn't pushed it, and Kallus was glad. The middle of a war was not the time nor the place for such thoughts, and a man whose hands were coated in the blood of billions had no right to have them. Children shouldn't be raised by monsters like him. After all, his parents had done a pretty poor job of it. Kallus likely wasn't capable of doing any better.

He stared harder at Vanto to distract himself from his thoughts.

Vanto looked at him, and looked away. "I won't answer that." 

"That's fine," Kallus said. "We can move on to the next phase."

He stood up, made another thorough examination of the room to be certain they had taken every last thing that could be taken apart, used to open the bindings, attack a guard, or escape. Upon finding nothing, he moved Vanto to the floor to make another examination of his bed. It was safe. Kallus took the pillow and blanket, and Vanto's boots and socks. The only reaction he got was a scowl as he prepared and gave Vanto a second shot.

"Making me uncomfortable?" he sneered.

"Something like that," Kallus responded calmly. He double-checked the binders: good. Tight, secure, no flaws.

Vanto twitched. "This won't make me talk."

Kallus grinned, and gathered his bag and the confiscated items. "It might. Don't go anywhere, Vanto," he said cheerfully, flicked out the light, and flicked on a vocal recorder.

The hallucinogenic he'd given him worked best in full darkness.

\---

Using the 'fresher, grabbing two cups of caf and some breakfast, and poking his head into the cockpit for an update and to deliver half that to Fenn - and yes, perhaps to receive kiss or two (or five) had taken all of fifteen minutes. Ezra looked puzzled when Kallus dragged a chair into the hallway from his cabin and positioned it to put himself immediately in front of the door, and gave the boy leave to go eat. Any minute now, the hallucinogen would be kicking into high gear. 

This was where having two Jedi aboard might get complicated.

He had the field manual given to him by the Interrogations Officer who had trained him ready to go on his datapad next to the mission report he was working on, just in case either of the Jedi took exception to him doing his duty.

It only took eight minutes before Kanan poked his head around the corner from the common room to look at Kallus, his tone firm and suspicious. "Is he okay?" the beanpole of a man demanded, gesturing to the door behind Kallus.

"Does he feel frightened?" Kallus did his best to not feel pleased by the possibility. It would be a great way to end up in a detention cell if that slipped out and Kanan caught it. "If so, that's to be expected: it's the shot taking effect. My apologies if the emotions are bothering you: the effects of the dosage shouldn't last more than ten minutes from the onset of symptoms."

It wasn't visible behind the mask, but Kallus suspected Kanan had both his eyebrows raised. "The hell did you give him?"

Ah. He was angry. From behind him, Ezra poked his head out of his room to watch. "I am following Alliance interrogation protocol, as High Command ordered me to do," he answered, raising a hand to stop whatever was about to come out of Ezra's mouth when he opened it. "My orders for our time on Denon had some flexibility. My orders for handling our prisoner are explicit and inflexible."

"What. Was. It?" the Jedi ground out, a little more loudly than Kallus would have liked.

"If I deviate from protocol, I could very well end up being tried and executed for war crimes because of my past. If I turn the interrogation over to anybody else and something goes wrong, I face the same outcome, Kanan. I want to hear you say you understand that before I tell you anything else," Kallus finished, voice low and calm, but eyes fierce and unyielding.

Kanan sighed. "Fine. Look, I get that. But I can't just ignore that mind crying out for help, Kallus. What if he's in physical danger?"

A glance down at the readout from the scanner indicated he was fine. "Scanner says he's physically fine. It's a mild hallucinogen, designed to open the mind to questions, and remind the prisoner who has the authority." He glanced up and down the corridor. Fantastic. They were all here. "As far as drugs go, it's not the worse thing the Alliance uses, but I can tell you firsthand, it's very unpleasant. Why are you all looking at me like - ? Oh hell." 

Sex and not enough sleep gave him a loose tongue. Most of them looked shocked or angry, but Fenn looked livid. Kallus took a sip of his caf to look calmer than he felt. He'd seen Fenn angry before, but the rage hadn't been directed at him. Being on the receiving end of that glare had him rattled. "Look, it's not as bad as whatever you're thinking. It was only for my debriefing." Shock to disbelief. "I had anti-interrogation training with far worse than that." Fenn and Zeb looked like they might kill him. Well, shit. Kanan, however…

"You can't break the communications blackout to call Hera," he reminded him. "When we dock at 1500 you can complain all you want."

Fenn turned on his heel and silently went back to the cockpit, Zeb and Sabine to their cabins, Kanan to wherever he'd been before, and Ezra cautiously pulled up a chair next to him as he watched his master leave. "He's starting to calm down," he said quietly. "Whatever he was seeing, it was weird. A lot of blue. I think maybe they were people like Thrawn. Vanto was with a lot of them, but he still felt so lonely."

"Were you prying, Ezra?"

The boy - no - the young man shook his head. "Whatever you gave him, it really made him project. Might be interesting to play around with it and see if it opens people up to the Force."

That was a question for a science grant. Kallus shrugged, sat down his caf, and idly fiddled with the ring on his index finger. What were the chances Fenn would still want him to wear that tonight? "I'm not the person to ask about that. You said he was lonely?"

"Yeah." Ezra looked down at his hands. "There's someone he misses, that he was supposed to see on Denon, and we took that chance from him."

"Thrawn," Kallus muttered. It was a lead to go off of. The _Chimaera_ had arrived as they were leaving, after all. 

The young Jedi looked at him like he'd never heard a weirder suggestion in his life. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Vanto _misses_ Thrawn? Vanto misses _Thrawn_?"

"I don’t get it either. I didn't spend the first fifteen years of my career with him, however," Kallus said with a shrug. He downed the rest of his caf, grabbed his datapad and bag, and stood. "Thank you, Ezra. I'm going to head back in now, and see if he's ready to try again."

\---

 

Breaking through the officer's training to resist interrogation was the trick. There was, according to the ISB training he had memorized - and could still recite - no one right way to break through a naval officer's resistance training. They didn't receive much, and most were afraid enough of the ISB to cave immediately to questioning. The rebellion tended to think the opposite, but in this singular instance, Kallus thought perhaps they were correct.

When he re-entered the room, he did so with a glass of water for Vanto. The man looked positively wretched, and Kallus needed him to stay hydrated for future injections, and so that he would be able to talk. Everything else was set down as far from him as possible, and Kallus assessed the man as he approached. Vanto scrambled back from him slightly on the bed, but it seemed to take some effort. Kallus helped him sit up and sip slowly at the water until it was gone. He checked the man's wrists and ankles in the binders to make sure they and he were still undamaged, and this time sat much closer to him (albeit still out of kicking range).

Positive that Vanto was as comfortable as he was going to get, Kallus pulled up the transcript of the audio file from the recorder, and read over it. With Ezra's interpretation of the hallucinations to give the transcript context, it made some sense.

"I have to say, this wasn't quite what I was expecting Thrawn to have done with you when you vanished," Kallus said after a moment, lowering the pad. He was careful to keep the screen tilted so Vanto couldn't see it as he asked a test question to see if the truth drug was working at its fullest potential yet. "You two were quite close for a long time, and then you simply vanished like a wisp of smoke from his side. Did you divorce, or were you sent to live with your new in-laws for safe-keeping?"

Vanto blanched. "What? No! We weren't like that!"

Kallus snorted in disbelief, and sneered in disgust at him. It wasn't difficult at all to do that. Growing up in the upper class of Coruscant had really given him an edge there. "Really? The Emperor's pet alien gets to keep his Academy roommate all through his career and then suddenly sends him home to his family? **I will go and find Thrawn, and tell my mate of the concerns of the Chiss.** That is what you said, is it not? My Sy Bisti isn't the best, but it's not that bad, Vanto." Especially not with a translator chip in his datapad to help.

"It isn't that sort of a thing! **Mate** can have multiple connotations in Sy Bisti!"

"Then what sort of thing was it?" Kallus demanded, dropping his voice to a low and dangerous level.

Vanto looked like he wanted to cry: the inability to control one's emotions was a side effect of the drug. Good. Kallus pressed him harder. "You were supposed to meet him on Denon: the _Chimaera_ showed up as we were leaving. Or was it for a tryst? That sort of thing could damage a Grand Admiral's career beyond repair if you two aren't careful, Vanto. Do you want him to come back home with you that badly?"

"No!"

"I bet you're just that greedy for his cock, aren't you?"

"I'd hardly come all this way for that!"

That wasn't a no. Kallus pressed the advantage. "Couldn't wait for him to come back home on his own so you arranged a rendezvous out here so you could have him inside you now instead of whenever he got tired of fucking Governor Pryce on the side?" That one had hit a nerve. Vanto jerked back as though he'd been slapped. For a moment, he looked furious, and then he shook his head no. Interesting. So Thrawn and Vanto had been fucking, and Vanto might not have been aware of how close Thrawn and Pryce had become.

"I had information!"

Kallus laughed, cold and heartless. "On what positions you let his cousins have you in since he was fucking Pryce instead of you?"

"It's a ring of admirals and vice admirals!" Vanto snapped.

"Very good, Eli," he praised, a little more friendly, perhaps, but not without cruelty, "but I need more than that. If you don't want to cooperate, I can give you another dose of the hallucinogen and truth drug and we can wait for the information to come tumbling out of your mouth."

Vanto glared at him. "What happens if I cooperate?"

Kallus smiled at him. "If your information checks out, we'll hold you until we've made our move. After that, as you've committed no war crimes, you may very well be set free. If it comes to light that you have, you'll be tried and sentenced."

"You're a rebel," Vanto murmured.

"Am I?" Kallus replied. "I'm simply trying to do the right thing and help people I've wronged. I can't make up for all the crimes I committed - and there were many - but I can do my best with the time I have left. Does it make you not want to help?"

Vanto gave him a look, and Kallus chuckled. "No, I understand. I was in a similar place, once, though I ranked far more highly than you. It's not a easy choice, and it could put you down any number of unexpected paths. Mine brought me here and I have no regrets about that.

"Are you going to help us free these slaves or not?"  
\---

"Who the hell needs time to think about something like that?" Zeb had wondered with much annoyance when they'd docked with the other GX-1 and Wedge and Sabine were guarding the prisoner.

Hera sighed. "Well, apparently this guy does. Kallus did the right thing: he's obligated according to his commission as an IO to give him time to consider the offer if time is requested and can be granted within reason."

"Doesn't mean I wanted to," Kallus muttered. He'd been pissed, but as Hera had said, obligated. "Giving him time to think can easily translate to time to plan. Vanto was trained in tactics by Thrawn for well over a decade. It's not as bad for us as having the Grand Admiral himself here, but I was never able to gain complete access to the ISB's file on Vanto before Thrawn captured me. I have no idea how well trained he really is."

The common room was quiet. Fenn entered, slid into the empty seat next to Kallus, and draped an arm over the back of his seat. That left Ezra, Kanan, and Rex in the cockpit. He was warm, and seemed to be much more calm now. Kallus leaned into his side, slouching slightly to tuck himself neatly in place against the shorter man. After negotiating with the man he'd been interrogating, this physical contact with his lover was sorely needed.

"There's something else we need to discuss," Hera added, studying the two of them, but more likely the way Kallus had melted right into Fenn when physical contact and comfort were offered to him. "Kanan mentioned that you gave Vanto a hallucinogen. He also said that you claimed to have had it used on you during your debriefing."

The other side of the seat was clear. Kallus tensed and scooted slightly, planning to escape this conversation, but Fenn's arm came down around his shoulders in a very tight grip. Fenn pulled him in close to his side, clearly not planning to let him go any time soon. Zeb sat down on the other side, and Hera planted both hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward to glare. "No, you don't get to escape this conversation, Kal," she said. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

Why hadn't - ? Was she serious? Kallus jaw dropped.

"Are you joking?" It was impossible to sound any more incredulous than that. "Why would I mention it? It's right there in your manual as part of your interrogation tactics. Hardly surprising one would see similar tactics in a debriefing, I suppose, though I've never heard of anybody actually using it in practice."

Really, why did they all look so surprised? "What am I missing?" he cautiously demanded a moment later.

Hera exchanged a look with Zeb, and then with Fenn. It was the Mandalorian who cleared his throat to speak, who managed to gentle his voice so as not to yell at him for missing the obvious. "Dear heart, that's not how debriefings are supposed to go. They promised Hera it was a debriefing: _not an interrogation_. Asking you questions is acceptable. Having a trained interrogator or a psychologist to monitor your body language to determine if you're lying is acceptable. Using hallucinogens to make you talk changes it from a debriefing to an interrogation."

No wonder they were upset. Zeb leaned in on his other side. "Kal, what else did they do? They ever not give you food or water? Deprive you of sleep?"

Kallus shook his head, and looked down at his hands. After not wearing gloves for several weeks, they were covered in freckles the same as his face and scalp. There were patterns in them if he looked hard enough, patterns that could resemble system charts, or letters. He studied them as he spoke; sometimes, the truth was easier to divulge if you didn't have to look at anybody while you were telling it. A good deal of those first two weeks were kind of a blur, aside from the fighting. "No. And I was in such bad shape then I don't think I would have noticed either. You were all away for the worst of it, but the nightmares I have now were nowhere near as bad as they were for the first two or three weeks I was off of Lothal and could finally sleep without looking over my shoulder for Thrawn and Pryce all the time. The hallucinogen only stands out because I wasn’t thrilled about being stuck or drugged."

Hera sighed, clearly not please with his answer, but he hadn't given her anything else she could harass him about regarding that. "Did they offer you anything for the nightmares?" she inquired after a moment, finally relaxing her stance a little.

They hadn't, and he wouldn't have accepted anything either. He wasn't going to admit it and drag this out, however. "What does it matter now, Hera?" he inquired, tone now barely polite. Kallus tensed against Fenn, rested his hands on the table, fighting the urge to stand and lean forward. The hand that had been on his shoulder lowered to his hip and gripped it tightly to keep him from rising. "I understand your concerns about the hallucinogen, but I'd rather not end up rethinking everything that's happened to me since I escaped Thrawn's clutches while I am trying to accomplish mission objectives."

Fenn's right hand rested over Kallus's, gripping it gently. The nervous habit Kallus had unintentionally cultivated all week returned, and his left hand immediately moved to touch and twist the band on Fenn's index finger.

"Kallus," Hera started.

Zeb stuck up for him. "Hera, he's right. What good's it gonna do us in the middle of nowhere with a prisoner aboard, in the middle of a mission? Let him keep his focus on getting what we need out of Vanto."

"We're running under a communications blackout right now," Fenn added. "It's not something that can be dealt with until we get back. We're all upset by the way Kallus was treated - "

"Except Kallus," Hera pointed out, exasperated with all three of them.

"I came to you straight from being tortured for no reason but revenge," Kallus retorted. "I've been kidnapped several times by enemies of the Empire before, and tortured far worse than anything Thrawn did to me. My anti-interrogation training was far worse than what Thrawn did to me. I assure you, what happened during my debriefing was nothing I couldn't handle."

Fenn glared at them both, and gave his lover's hand a reassuring squeeze before continuing, "Hera, we can't do anything about it without the name of the IO who signed out the drug on that day and administered it, and we can't do anything to verify it out here. So there's nothing you can do besides either dwell on it and be angry, or let it go and do something more immediately useful."

The twi'lek huffed, but relented, and stormed off to the cockpit.

"Thank you, both of you," Kallus murmured when the doors had shut behind her. "I appreciate the assistance."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Zeb reassured. "Hera can be hard to shout down16 on your own if talking don't work out. Takes a team effort sometimes."

Fenn turned his head and pressed a kiss to the side of Kallus's. "That it does. You're not alone, dear heart."

Kallus turned his head to look at him in disbelief. "You were furious with me earlier. You took off before the teenagers."

The Mandalorian shook his head. "No. I was furious with the rebellion, with the Intentions branch, and the officers who were supposed to debrief you instead of interrogate you: not you. How could I be mad at you when you've done nothing wrong?"

Kallus shrugged his shoulders. "I've had lovers do crazier things." It wasn't a very good answer: judging by the look on Fenn's face, Kallus was straining his patience a little.

Zeb seemed to catch on to that as well. "How long does Vanto have to decide?"

"Uh..." Kallus glanced at his chronometer (another fancy pick from Fenn). "Twelve more hours. He's allowed to use the refresher with full cuffs and hood in three. No shower."

The lasat considered that information for a moment before he nodded. "Right. Look, you two have barely had any time to yourselves as just _you_. Head on to your cabin. Talk. Whatever. Just go have some time alone."

Fenn didn't need to be told twice. He slid out of the booth, and held a hand up out to Kallus. "Come on. We're not letting such a generous offer go to waste."

"Thank you, Zeb," Kallus said again, and took Fenn's offered hand to push out of the booth as Zeb waved them off, and into their shared cabin. Eli Vanto's decision could wait another 12 hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Interlude:** [Quick Step Chapter 1: Kallus, and Mother's Day](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10905903/chapters/24247476) takes place the night before Fenn wakes Kallus up and drags him off the _Ghost_ for sex.
> 
> So... I cut a lot of stuff out. A lot. I might publish some short things to go with this though. Keep an eye out for that. You can go to my author page and hit subscribe and you'll an email any time I post something.  
> \----  
> 1: [Sabine's dress:](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/7c/9c/69/7c9c698cfa7735d47d547803e66bf4ce.jpg) Just imagine it in whatever color you want. I went through about 100 dresses before I picked this.  
> 2: [Wystan:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/wystan%20) "Battle Stone" Wy for short  
> 3: [Saffron:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/saffron) "The food, precious spice, and color"  
> 4: [Kenelm:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/kenelm) ["Bold helmet"](http://www.disney.de/sites/default/files/styles/retina-reduction/public/star-wars-rebels/characters/Agent%20Kallus/sw_mci_rebels_season2_kallus.jpg) I can't be the only one who misses this stupid fucking helmet enough to crack jokes.  
> 5: [Fitzroy:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/fitzroy) "Bastard son of the king"  
> 6: Last name: Lus'hek ([randomizer.org](http://www.randomizer.org)) Literally randomized the alphabet and some punctuation and took the first group that was pronounceable. #starwarsname  
> 7: [Maeve:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/maeve) "Intoxicating" I mean, she was an actress. Ezra was beating off to her at night after those holovids. I doubt he was the only kid in the galaxy to do it.  
> 8: [Òrfhlaith:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/o10rfhlaith) "Golden princess"  
> 9: [Tancred:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/tancred) "Thought and counsel" This was at the top of a poncy name list I found.  
> 10: [Chad](https://www.behindthename.com/name/chad) [Algar: "Asshole elf spear" We all know "Chad" means asshole in English. I can't name a single nice Chad I've ever met. Fuck every guy named Chad I know. They were all horrible people. It actually means "Battle". Because it's a battle not to kill them, I guess? Seriously, there's a * below. Visit that for more about Chads. 11: ](https://www.behindthename.com/name/algar)["Wait" position.](http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lo389zjqCf1qfvizao1_500.jpg)  
> 12: Because they gave the _Relentless_ the most useless admiral after Ozzel, I made its captain from the Thrawn books a Viceroy. Dorja deserved better. The _Relentless_ deserved better. Filoni let us down.  
>  13: [GX-1 Short Hauler Yacht:](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/GX1_Short_Hauler) Gorgeous, dependable, and honestly I like how they're laid out. Wish they had more guns, though.  
> 14: [Kentigern:](https://www.behindthename.com/name/kentigern) "Chief lord" I guess the best one? Lord of lords? Jesus? He's not Obi-wan, but he'll do in a pinch? #everykallusgetsadifferentname  
> 15: [Interrogation/Intentions/Intelligence:](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Interrogation_\(Alliance_Intelligence\)) Who's pulling heavily from Legends because canon has next to nothing? ME!  
> 16: [Shout down:](http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/shout+down) My wife had never heard this expression before this morning. I swear it's real! I don't mean shut down!  
> \---  
> *Fuck you, Disney. I'm getting the band back together. You can guess who's coming in later chapters. Hint: He's my _favorite_ captain.  
>  **I've never met a Chad that wasn't a complete sack of shit, but I acknowledge that is just my experience. You may feel pressed to tell me your nice Chad stories. Don't. I really don't give a shit. All southwestern Ohio Chads are awful and you won't convince me otherwise.
> 
> Fun things I spent time on that didn't make the chapter:  
> Kanan's Grizmallt name was [Kelsey](https://www.behindthename.com/name/kelsey), which means "fierce island."  
> Ezra's Grizmallt name was [Esme](https://www.behindthename.com/name/esme), which means "esteemed" or "loved."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Zeb, I was in the Empire for nearly twenty years. Before that, I grew up with very strict parents and child-minders. All of the boarding schools and academies I attended had rigid rules and disciplinary policies in place, and now I'm here. The rebellion has next to none of that. The loss of discipline and structure leaves me feeling frustrated quite a lot of the time.
> 
> "My relationship with Fenn gives it back to me in one area of my life, and I find that's enough to pull me through everything else when I'm stressed. He laid out rules for me earlier, with consequences. I broke the rules, and so now I must be disciplined." Zeb tilted his back, a protective look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sex heavy because I drop-kicked you guys in the face with some darkness to the plot. Look, it's gonna get _dark_ starting next chapter (which starts with sex too because I'm weak), but I think you'll enjoy Kallus interacting more with Sabine and Zeb.  
>  \---  
>  **Chapter Warnings** : Orgasm Delay/Denial through Sex Trafficking

Sequestered in their rooms, finally alone for what Kallus hoped would be several more hours, he'd expected to be pinned immediately to the door or guided to the bed for more sex. Fenn locked the door, made sure the intercom wasn't on from their end, and then paced to the other side of the room. Something was still bothering him, if his back was to the only person in the room who could decipher the problem from his expression. How often had Fenn ever given him the chance to gather himself or hide away his facial expression first? Never. That wasn't playing fair at all. Kallus went to him, set a hand carefully on his shoulder to try to turn him around. When Fenn didn't budge he tried to get in front of him to see his face, but the older man wasn't having any of that either.

"No, Kent," he said quietly, brushing the hand off him. "Go and shower, then come back to me. I need a few minutes."

Frowning, and trying not to feel stung by the rather sudden rejection, Kallus sighed softly. It was practically second-nature to him now to do as Fenn said, and that was something they would need to discuss because the urge to obey had kicked in immediately.

He was already at the door.

While having that source of discipline provided him something he sorely needed and missed, his lover using it to order him away from a conversation felt like a small abuse of power. Still, a few minutes were not much to ask. A few minutes alone to think about whatever was bothering Fenn were something easily within his power to give his lover. It wouldn't harm him to grant that to him. "All right. A few minutes, then," he agreed, catching Fenn's eye over his shoulder as he keyed the door to open and stepped out.

As he used the sonic to clean up and then ran his clothing through the cleaner (but not the tunic - that still smelled of Fenn), Kallus replayed the group's last conversation in his mind, focusing on his lover's reactions. Something had to have upset him, and now he was determined to figure out what, exactly, it had been.

The Mandalorian had shaken his head. His kind eyes had held no duplicity Kallus could detect, though they had narrowed slightly. Perfectly kissable lips, surrounded by the brown of his beard and mustache, turned down in a frown, though it was not directed at Kallus. "No. I was furious with the rebellion, with the Intentions branch, and the officers who were supposed to debrief you instead of interrogate you: not you. How could I be mad at you when you've done nothing wrong?"

Kallus had shrugged his shoulders. "I've had lovers do crazier things." It hadn't been a very good answer: judging by the look on Fenn's face, Kallus was straining his patience a little.

No. That wasn't it. The set of his mouth hadn't been quite right for that. It wasn't impatience, it had changed to distaste, but for who or what Kallus couldn't say. A single offhand comment had done that. His face twisted in self-loathing as he quickly redressed, wondering with no small amount of trepidation what Fenn was thinking he had meant. All he'd meant was that he'd had his fair share of lovers make wild assumptions or worse. One had burned all of his uniforms. All of them. That had been one hell of a report to have to make to his superior officer; fortunately, he'd had a good sense of humor about it. Another one had attempted to forge his signature on marriage documentation, and then faked a pregnancy. They hadn't even had penetrative sex.

What a mess. Kallus didn't bother stopping by Vanto's door for a sitrep on the way back to his cabin. Fenn was going to have to discuss this immediately: Kallus refused to let things like this fester when they could easily be cleared up with a conversation.

Fenn was ready to explain himself when he came back. He was sitting on their bunk in only his trousers, hair messy from running his hands through it too much. Kallus resealed the door, and leaned back against it. "If this is about that crazy lover comment," he started, "I'm going to smack you upside the head for taking it too seriously." 

Yes. It was about that, at least in part. Fenn sat up straighter, looking at him in surprise. "I put it together without looking at your face, yes," Kallus said, pushing away from the door to take a couple steps farther into the room. He didn't bother to keep all of the hurt out of his voice or off his face because he simply didn't think he could. He softened his voice and face, made a conscious effort to show the affection and concern he felt for the man. "Do you want to discuss it, Fenn?"

"I did before," Fenn said, giving him an appraising look. He reached out a hand and Kallus came to him, let Fenn pull him down to sit beside him on the bed. "I'm not so sure now. You figured me out very quickly."

Kallus smiled fondly at him and held on to his hand. "Former spy, remember? Former ISB? I learned your tells. I don’t know if you noticed, but we've spent quite a bit of time together in the last three weeks."

There was the familiar, fond smile Kallus had accidentally become so very enamored with. "Have we? I think I've been too distracted lately by trying to get your clothes off of you to really pay attention to the passage of time."

"It wasn't because you were fucking me against every flat surface the rebellion had to offer?" It was such an innocent sounding question that it took Fenn a minute, but his lips curled in a devilish smile.

"If we had the time, I'd take you on every flat surface the galaxy had to offer." Were they immortal or especially long-lived beings without a war to fight, Kallus would take him up on that. It sounded divine.

Kallus leaned in to steal a quick kiss. "I'm afraid we'll have to settle for risking getting caught on Yavin IV," he murmured. "Or here. I'm not that picky, I suppose, as long as I get to have you." 

"Will it please you to learn the feeling is mutual?" Fenn released his hand to remove the belt from the tunic. 

So long as the conversation didn't stop, Kallus supposed he could allow his lover to undress him. A bit of indulgence wouldn't hurt. "Yes." Being honest with his feelings had a kind of vulnerability to it that was very new to him: it was very different from accidentally leaving his flank open during a sparring session with Zeb or a real battle. "I had intended to not involve myself in feeling anything at all beyond what was required for the mission: clearly, that did not go as planned."

Fenn paused for a moment to look at his face, then tugged the tunic off of Kallus. Kallus bent to pull off his boots. "I had intended the same thing. Then the sex was fantastic, as was the companionship. Then watching you be so obedient for me - and knowing that it gave you something vital - which was so attractive, so… so enchanting, it did me in."

"You like being able to provide that for me?" Kallus inquired, straightening up after he'd tugged off the last boot. 

"Yes." The response was more shiver than vocalization. "We both know you need a safe way to give up control, a place you can go to have a structure with discipline - rules, rewards, and punishments - and watching you truly let go for _me_ is the most arousing thing I've ever seen. When you submit to me, when you let me take you apart and put you back together - hell. I can't imagine ever giving that up, Kent." Fenn looked somewhat wrecked just talking about it.

The older man had shifted closer to him, and pressed a kiss to his shoulders. Kallus sighed contentedly. "I never thought I'd find anyone I could trust with that. My previous lovers weren't up to it, or I didn't trust them that far. One of them once tried to forge my signature on marriage documents when she figured out who my parents were. I stopped taking long-term lovers _and_ sleeping with women before I was thirty because of her," Kallus chuckled with a shake of his head. 

"What?" 

Kallus raised an eyebrow at him and grinned. "My girlfriend before her set all my uniforms on fire fifteen minutes before my shift. I thought my CO was going to pass out from laughing when I called it in after I arrested her. He brought me a spare uniform and the MPs to pick her up and I was standing outside the barracks in my underwear, with her in my cuffs, ignoring her screaming at me while I contacted supply to requisition another full set plus armor."

That got a full-bodied laugh from his lover. "How did he react when he arrived?"

"More laughter. He was pleasant to work with." Kallus leaned against Fenn a little, turned his head to brush a kiss over his cheek.

"When you said you'd had lovers 'do crazier things', this is what you meant?" Fenn asked, looking at him with eyes that were blue again. The color from the drops were finally fading.

Another kiss to the cheek somehow turned into the slow slide of lips and tongues before Kallus pulled away. "Yes. Whatever horrible thing you were thinking, it's not it."

Fenn nodded, seemingly satisfied. "There are a couple more topics we need to discuss before I spend the next few hours pleasuring you, dear heart."

That wasn't entirely unexpected. It was a new relationship, coming off a very weird starting point. They'd have plenty of things to negotiate between them. "What's next?"

"The aspect of giving up control. You've said it was working for you, but was it working well enough? Could it work better?"

The one topic he was a little shy about discussing. Of course. Kallus looked away. "Fenn…"

Gentle fingers turned his face right back to face his lover. "Don't. We need to be able to discuss this as a couple or I won't engage in this with you. If I can provide more for you, or better for you, then I want to do so. I want to take care of your needs, dear heart, even the difficult ones, but you have to be able to address them."

Why was it so damn hard to resist him when his eyes were that honest and loving? 

"May I please have time to think about that? I'm having some difficulty separating out what I want from what we had to do to do for our jobs. Some experimenting might help." Kallus lowered his eyes submissively for a moment, and then looked back up. Fenn was a sucker for that, and he watched the older man suck in a short breath of air.

"You have until we return to base to decide what you want to experiment with," he agreed quietly, and moved his hand from Kallus's chin to his hair, "but if you need or want to try something between now and then, you have only to ask."

Kissing seemed like a good reward for the offered compromise, so Kallus leaned in and gave him a good one. Fenn accepted it and leaned back on the bed, tugging the taller man so he was lying over him. That gave him more maneuvering room than usual, and he planned to use it to get away with as much as possible. First, he need to trap Fenn beneath him - at least temporarily - so Kallus sat up long enough to straddle his thighs, then stretched back out on top of him. Correctly positioned to put his body to good use as they kissed, his ground his hips down against his lover's, drawing a hiss from the man.

"You cheat," Fenn hissed accusingly against his lips.

"There were rules?" Kallus pretended to be innocent, and ground his hips down again, winding Fenn up. Just to be a bastard, he ran a hand through the man's hair, lightly using his nails on the sensitive scalp. That got a string of curses in Mando'a, and Fenn rutted up against him. 

Kallus laughed, and pressed his hands down on Fenn's hips to hold him still. "Did you just threaten to stab me?"

"Kind of."

"Kinky, Fenn." He reclaimed those lips, and moved one hand only to undo Fenn's trousers and pull out his cock. 

"I'm not the one constantly begging to be fucked in public." No, he wasn't, but Kallus could argue that it took at least two to have a proper fuck, and if he couldn't keep his hands off Fenn, well, that was hardly his fault.

Who knew when, if ever, he'd have discovered the side of himself that enjoyed the risk of being caught while fucking behind a dumpster, or against the hull of a ship, if Fenn hadn't come into his life?

So really it the Mandalorian's fault, but he didn't need to say that aloud. Fenn already knew that.

Instead, with a sweet smile, Kallus gave him a gentle squeeze and tugged, silencing him immediately. "Hand me the lube, darling?" His request was phrased perfectly calmly. Sucking him off had crossed his mind, but if Fenn was going to be a cheeky bitch today, Kallus would tease him instead.

With a minimum of fussing, the lube was handed over. Kallus held Fenn in place with a raised eyebrow as he stood to remove the last of their clothing, and rejoined him on the bed. The Mandalorian tried to move, but Kallus was fast, and had his legs pinned with his own in seconds. "No," he said simply, and scooped the tube back up.

"No?" Fenn asked, incredulous. He couldn't be blamed for the disbelief, Kallus supposed; after all, he had spent the last few weeks granting him everything.

Well, now it was time to start flipping the tables a little. "No." Kallus confirmed. A generous amount of lube was applied to his hand, then the tube was cast aside. He smoothed it slowly over his lover's cock, and shifted so he could more easily slide onto it. There was no protest once the older man realized what he was going to do.

Fortunately, he was a man who needed little preparation by this point, quite used to being taken by the thick length he was about to push down onto. Lube was plenty of foreplay for them both these days, with how often they had sex. Kallus wiggled his hips slightly, and let gravity do the hard work for him. There was a slight pressure, and then pleasure as the cockhead slid into him and stroked over his sensitive nerves. The head didn't quite brush his prostate but this would do. Fenn's face held a look of utter frustration when it clicked that Kallus was not going to slide all the way down. 

He rose upward instead, rewarded by the sound of his lover groaning, and the feeling of strong hands on his hips trying to pull him back down. Kallus squeezed his muscles together instead, and fucked himself on the inch that remained inside. For a few minutes he gave Fenn nothing more than that save for the odd deep thrust to get a choked-off cry out of him. How long would his lover last with the teasing? 

Not long. Fenn lasted four more minutes before he hit his breaking point. Kallus knew the change in position was coming when his lover brought his knees up so his feet were flat to the bed, forcing the younger man further down unto his cock. The move allowed the Mandalorian to trap Kallus's left foot with his right, giving him all the leverage needed to buck his hips up and flip them. 

Apparently he wasn't done yet. Kallus got a hard kiss and a flash of teeth with a grin before Fenn pulled out and manhandled onto his stomach.

The maneuver effectively trapped Kallus flat against the mattress beneath him so Fenn could pound into him as vigorously as he pleased (which was, apparently, quite vigorously). Before this man, he'd always been pretty quiet in bed: now, Kallus tended to make a lot of noise. Fenn's name was his favorite, falling from his lips like a prayer of ecstasy with every glide of his cock over his prostate. His lover folded himself over the younger man, leaving sweet kisses on his shoulders and spine as well as bite and love marks that would last for days.

His cock dragged against the mattress beneath them as they moved together, and it wouldn't be long now: Fenn was practically growling with each rough thrust. Nearly delirious with pleasure, Kallus groped for Fenn's hand, let the older man lace their fingers together against the mattress. It was a single word that undid him, and had him pouring his release over the sheets beneath him.

"Mine," Fenn growled possessively in his ear, just before Kallus tightened around him. 

"Yes," he managed to gasp out as his toes curled and he came.

Fenn took it as his cue to go harder, using his free hand to haul the younger man's hips up to a slightly better angle. It was a satisfying, solid pounding he was given as Fenn fucked him hard and deep through both their orgasms. When he had finished spilling inside Kallus, he stilled for a moment, kissing over his back, hands cupping and tracing his buttocks before rolling them onto their sides.

It was impossible to notice he hadn't pulled out yet: not that Kallus minded. Let that thickness stay in him until his lover went soft. For now, it felt good to still be so full after being satisfied. 

They rested together, recovering, breathing and basking in each other's warmth. Fenn trailed his fingers through the cum on Kallus's chest and stomach, alternating between bringing it to Kallus's lips to obediently lick his fingers clean, and rubbing it into his sweaty skin so he'd smell of it. If he still had the refractory time from his early twenties either activity would have him hard again already, but at this age it wasn't enough. It kept him interested, but his cock lay soft against his thigh, and would for a while longer. Fenn still mouthed over his neck, still held him close, and Kallus couldn't recall ever having felt so utterly content in his life.

At some point he dozed off, but woke up on his back, to Fenn holding his legs down to prevent getting kicked should he startle Kallus, and kissing his way up his cock. Propping himself up on his elbows to get a better view, Kallus looked down at him. Fenn met his gaze with a smirk, and lapped at the underside of his head with his tongue. That was good. It definitely had his interest. 

"I got bored waiting for you to wake up on your own, dear heart," Fenn explained, before dipping his tongue into the slit.

That was better than good. Far be it for him to complain about such a pleasant wake-up. Kallus shivered. "I'm not here to criticize how you chose to pass the time while I was recovering from the last round, Fenn."

It took Fenn a few minutes to respond to that: he had the whole thing in mouth and was using his tongue to cradle and rub at the underside while he sucked for a moment before pulling back. "I want to try something new." He switched to swirling his tongue around the head instead, likely because he knew how to make Kallus incoherent as fast as humanly possible and that was his goal. That meant it was something he thought Kallus might not agree to, but it was something Fenn badly wanted.

It took an embarrassingly short amount of time for Fenn to take him apart using that method. Fenn's hands moved from his thighs to Kallus's hips, holding them down to stop the younger man from attempting to buck up into his mouth. The bastard had his thumb pressed right against the frenulum, his other hand teasing over the perineum, a place Kallus was particularly sensitive when receiving oral. When Kallus was panting and had both hands in Fenn's hair, he pulled back again, a strand of pre-cum connecting his mouth to the head of Kallus's hard cock. That sight could have undone him on its own. "I want to lick you clean afterward, dear heart. All of it." 

"Fine," he gasped. "If it gets you to stop teasing and _fuck me already_." 

"I had a feeling you'd see things my way." Fenn grinned at him, very much pleased with himself, and crawled up Kallus's body to kiss him good and hard. The taste of his own pre-cum in Fenn's mouth made him shiver, and he remembered that long strand with a small moan. "You look good like this, Kent, flushed and disheveled."

Kallus hooked his ankles behind Fenn's knees. "You look best when you're pushing inside me. Like every time you've never felt anything like it."

His comment earned him a softer, lingering kiss that curled his toes against Fenn's calf muscles. "Feels like it. There's no place I'd rather be than inside you." The slick head of his cock teased over Kallus's entrance, and he realized Fenn had probably applied lube right before waking him up. _Confident bastard._

"What's keeping you?" Pale, freckled arms wrapped around the older man's neck so Kallus could draw him in for another sweet kiss that stole his breath. Something about this felt a little different than last time. 

Fenn's forehead rested against his as he began to push inward. "I just wanted to look at you for a moment." His hands gripped Kallus's hips to hold him still as he moved: Kallus tended to get impatient and move down onto his cock if Fenn took too long. Today, he was content to remain still and examine this change. 

Another kiss passed between them. Fenn slide home and guided the younger man to hike his legs up. Kallus ran his fingers through Fenn's hair, and let him kiss and tease his neck and ears. There was no biting this time, only sweet, careful touches that were somewhat the same, yet somehow different than what he'd experienced with other lovers. When Fenn started to move inside him, Kallus moved his hands to explore his back, stroking gently over muscled shoulders and shoulder blades, moving lower, until he could squeeze Fenn's buttocks. 

It drew a curse muffled into the skin of his neck.

Kallus did it again, right as Fenn fucked back into him, and squeezed around his cock a little tighter, just to see if he would move faster. Fenn turned his head and kissed him soundly. The kiss was a distraction for him to reach behind his back and seize Kallus's hands. Their fingers were threaded together, his hands pinned over his head as Fenn continued to move at an unhurried pace. "You are a spoiled brat sometimes."

"You make me greedy for it," Kallus murmured back, turning his head to nip at Fenn's throat. He hated that damn beard keeping him away from the man's jawline, but some degree of disguise was still necessary with Vanto aboard.

The older man turned his head and chuckled against Kallus's lips. "It's my fault?"

Since his mouth was right there and he was feeling particularly greedy, it made perfect sense to steal the breath from his lover with a long kiss. Nipping the upper lip as he pulled away was only for fun. "Entirely your fault," Kallus breathed. Fenn rested their foreheads together as he picked up the pace. Kallus squeezed his hands. "I've never been like this with anyone else."

"Good," Fenn murmured fondly. He paused for a moment, adjusted his angle, and when he fucked into Kallus again it was perfect.

The Coruscanti cried out, hands clenching tight. Fenn had found the perfect angle, and if he kept that up, it wouldn't be long at all before he was - "Don't you dare," his lover said. Kallus's eyes snapped opened. He didn't remember closing them. "No cumming without me."

Commands like that only pushed him closer to the edge and Fenn knew it. He whimpered, though would deny it until he died, and Fenn released his right hand and firmly gripped the base of his cock as he kept moving. It helped, and Kallus nodded after a moment. Fenn kissed him again and released his grip, instead carding his hand through Kallus's hair. "I want to feel it, when you finish. I want to feel what it's like to cum with you."

Oh. He hadn't known he'd wanted it to until he heard it said aloud, but Kallus couldn't help thinking maybe that was something he'd wanted all along too. "Yes," he agreed, and tugged Fenn in for a kiss that was achingly sweet. It was something else that was within his power to give his lover, and this time it was something he wanted to give.

On his own holding back was incredibly difficult. Like this, under Fenn, there was more to focus on. Kissing was one of those things. Kallus focused a lot on kissing Fenn senseless, until he knew Fenn was nearly there. He could easily tell when his lover was close. Focusing on kissing Kallus became difficult, and his pace became erratic. "Cum for me, dear heart," Fenn finally gasped out, and reached down to wrap a hand around Kallus's cock. "I need to feel you."

It was one hell of a way to push him over the edge. Obedience was instant. Kallus did his best to keep his eyes open, to watch his lover's face. Their eyes met, and Fenn's thrusts slowed, though they weren't any less forceful. He rested on his elbows on top of Kallus when he had finished, and drew him into a gentle kiss. Nothing he'd experienced in years had ever felt so unconditionally affectionate. Something about this was light years different from every relationship he'd ever had.

As Fenn pulled away to clean him thoroughly with his tongue - as promised - pleasuring him more through the after effects of his orgasm, Kallus tried to figure out what that was.  
\---

After they'd cleaned up, slept, and had a long lie-in where they talked about nothing of any consequence at all, they'd finally dragged themselves out of bed. The other GX-1 was still shadowing them and due to dock in another five hours, and Vanto's decision was due in two. Food was probably called for, and Kallus needed to check in with their crew. They reapplied the eye drops that colored their irises and made their way to the galley. 

Zeb was the only one in there, and he smirked at them, most likely because he knew it annoyed his best friend. "Stop that," Kallus complained, cuffing the back of his head.

"I can still smell it on you, mate," he said, smirk widening as he gave Fenn a thumbs up and dodged the next smack Kallus threw - this one at his arm. "'Freshers don't take everything away for species that have a good enough nose, Kal."

Fenn returned the smirk. "I imagine the more times we do it, the stronger the smell is as well."

Kallus mock glared at his lover, and went to make caf. "Don't encourage him, darling. He hardly needs the motivation. I'm glad you're through making a fuss over the smell though, Zeb." 

There were two sets of raised eyebrows behind his back: one shocked, the other pleased. 

' _Darling?_ ' Zeb mouthed at Fenn, who shrugged and smiled.

' _That's the second -_ ' he held up two fingers, ' _time today._ '

"What are you two suddenly being so silent about?" Kallus asked, turning around with a suspicious look on his face. 

The other two looked away from each other, and Fenn moved forward to rest his hands on Kallus's hips and pull him close for quick kiss. "Nothing, dear heart." 

Kallus looked pointedly at Zeb's face, far too innocent for one engaged in nothing, and raised an eyebrow. "He's not nearly as a good a liar as you are. You know that, right? Neither of you are being as sneaky as you think you are." 

Zeb scowled at Kallus. "I can lie fine when I have to."

"Not to friends and family. Your ears give you away," he countered, deadpan, looking right at the two things that had betrayed Zeb. Flat ears in a situation where the emotion didn't call for them mean Zeb was trying to lie. His ears were flat when they shouldn't be, therefore, Zeb was lying. "Your ears are giving you away now." 

"Okay, except for them." He reached a hand up to scratch behind his head and looked away, embarrassed at being caught.

Why was he so damn cute sometimes? Kallus smiled at Zeb, and reached up to scratch behind his left ear. "I like your ears, even if they do give you away sometimes."

Zeb grinned. It was a sort of evil grin, the kind Kallus was immediately wary of. He withdrew his hand, watching him carefully. "The last time you were drunk you spent the entire night petting them because they were soft. Sabine still has the holovid of you refusing to let go of me."

Fenn raised an eyebrow and released his blushing lover so the taller man could finish making his caf. He leaned back against the counter, watching him fondly. "I'm going to bother her to see this when we get back."

"I'll show it to you. No need for bothering: it was really cute," she chuckled, leaning against the doorway. "Sorry, Kal."

"You are not," he muttered accusingly, and took a long sip of caf as he turned around and looked at her. "You need to redo your eye drops, Sabine."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, dad," she huffed. "I need to get both of your roots later too. I got mine and Wedge's yesterday, but I can see your inner gingers shining through a bit."

Fenn nodded, and pulled Kallus back against him, wrapping his arms around his waist. "It would probably be best to do it after we dock with the others again so there are enough people to watch the ship and the prisoner."

She gave them a weird look, then glanced at Zeb, like Fenn touching Kallus wasn't what she expected to see. "I have something I can cover your roots with in the meantime."

"That will do," Kallus said. He covered Fenn's right hand with his own and took a sip of his caf. Fenn took advantage of the low-collared tunic to bury his nose in the junction of Kallus's neck and shoulder and breathe him in. Sabine studied them, and then hopped up onto one of the galley stools. 

There was silence between the four of them, the men clearly trying to hide their entertainment at watching her figure out how to address the fact that the undercover part of the mission was over, but Kallus and Rau were still acting very much like a couple in love. Eventually, Kallus took pity on her. "Zeb, can you keep an eye on the cockpit for a bit?" They exchanged a glance, Kallus promising to talk about this with him later, and he nodded and left them to it.

She swung her feet in the air, legs not quite long enough to reach the ground, and studied her hands for a minute before Fenn broke the silence. "You can ask whatever you want to ask, Sabine."

There was an awful lot of hesitation on her face that Kallus wasn't used to seeing on the brave young woman. She pushed a strand of hair back, and exhaled. Family was important to Mandalorians, he knew, and the youngest members of the former Phoenix Squadron all treated Fenn like a much beloved uncle. They still had some issues with Kallus being around, and this was bound to cause trouble: especially with Sabine. The two were very close.

He braced himself for anger, for rejection, and for an attack. She had heard him out, as had everyone, but that didn't mean she would take this well.

"Are you two - " Sabine broke off. Studied them watching her: Fenn, patiently; Kallus, a little warily. "Are you two still playing a role or are you a thing?"

"It depends on how you define 'a thing,'" Kallus teased a little playfully, because her cautiousness was kind of cute, and because it was important for her to become comfortable with discussing relationships with other adults. If all went well with the war - and privately, he desperately hoped that it did - she, Bridger, and the other young, presently unattached adults fighting to free the galaxy of the Empire's tyranny would have to be able to communicate about these things in order to have healthy, stable relationships of any sort.

He'd already overheard Kanan and Hera not-quite-joking about wanting grandchildren from Ezra after the war.

If it would make his lover's family and friends happy, then Kallus was willing to help guide the younger ones along. Sabine nodded. At least she caught on quick. Having this conversation with Ezra would be a nightmare. "Yeah. You know. Like an actual couple."

 _The new hickeys clearly visible all over his neck and what his tunic didn't cover of his collarbone weren't an obvious answer?_ was what he wanted to respond. Fenn beat him to the punch. "Yes. We're still sorting out some details, but yes."

There was silence for a minute while Sabine took that in. "That's really kriffing weird, but I guess that's fine? Wait." She stared at them, like she had just realized how much time they had been spending in their cabin, and how little Kallus had slept on the _Ghost_. "Are you two, y'know, doing 'it'?"

"Doing what?" Kallus deadpanned, like he had no idea what "it" could be. He was only covered in love bites and bruises from neck to thigh. Some of them were perfectly visible right now. The answer to that question was pretty obvious, and really none of her business. She was going to learn that quickly if he had his way.

Fenn was hiding a snicker against the nape of his neck.

"You know," she said, blushing a little, "having sex."

"Ah," Kallus responded with a perfect sabacc face. "Yes, we've been doing that for three solid weeks now. It's fantastic, really."

Sabine blanched and held up her hands. "Whoa! Okay, no. Too much information!"

Kallus shrugged, but couldn't suppress a tiny smile. "You asked."

"You're such an ass!"

There was laughter from behind him. "I'm sorry?" Kallus tried. The words were weird in his mouth. "It is true."

"You know what? I'm done here." Sabine hopped off the stool, and Kallus reached out to gently grip her upper arm and pull her back.

"No, no, hold on. I don't mean to make light of your concerns," he said, tone more serious. Fenn had stopped laughing and come to join them. He rested a hand on the young lady's shoulder.

Sabine sighed. "Are you happy? Both of you?" They nodded, and she shook her head, and grabbed Kallus's hand. "Then it's fine. Come on. You need your hair dealt with before I spend an hour complaining to Ezra about you though."

"All right," he agreed, and turned to give Fenn a quick kiss. The affection in his eyes momentarily stunned him. "I'll come find you later, darling."

"I shall look forward to it, dear heart."  
\---

Exactly when the prisoner's allotted time to come to a decision was up, Kallus entered Vanto's cabin. The man was already awake and engaged in a staring contest with Kanan - who, like Ezra, was still wearing the monk's hood around their prisoner. Vanto had no idea there was really no staring contest, of course, or that he was alone in a room with a blind Jedi Knight.

"I'll take over," Kallus said, resting a hand on Kanan's shoulder. "Go and rest."

Kanan still turned his head and looked up at him before nodding and standing. "Okay. Come and find me if you need anything," he said, pausing to rest a hand on Kallus's shoulder. Long, thin fingers rubbed the material of the scarf he'd put on to hide the large number of hickeys Fenn had left on him earlier from Vanto's eyes before the Jedi brushed by him and out the door. 

Kallus keyed in the lock code, blocking Vanto's view with his body, and sat down. He only had his datapad on him for now. "Your time is up. I'm here for your decision. Are you going to choose the standard Imperial route of letting the undeserving suffer as slaves, or are you going to choose to do the right thing?"

Vanto sighed, as though he found being kidnapped and held as a prisoner tiring. Kallus supposed he might: he had quite the record out of all the Imperial Naval Officers for it. "I'll help," he decided, "because I've never agreed with the Empire's policies regarding slavery or genocide, and because I don't think the lot of you deserve to be arrested by them for kidnapping me in order to help those who need it, and - most importantly - because there are most likely children involved in the ring."

Kallus's face darkened, and he paid much more careful attention to Vanto's body language. "Did you say there are children?" he demanded, voice low and urgent.

"Yes," Vanto said, much more seriously, leaning forward as best he could in his bindings. "I'm not sure what you think you can do with one ship, however. There are at least five dozen adult slaves that are lasat, ten adult wookiees, and possibly up to one-hundred-fifty humans of various ages being passed around as pleasure slaves."

There was silence between them as the gravity of the situation hit Kallus. He exhaled slowly, and recorded the information. "Where?"

"I've no idea where the ring originates, or if my contact has yet to determine that, but we know the prisoners are taken from Imperial prison facilities via falsified transfers or records, put on the ships of the officers involved, and then offloaded somewhere in the Inner Rim. They're transported through it - Denon is one of the planets acting as a marketplace because the governor is complicit in the ring - and then the trail ends in the Expansion Region where they are mostly likely sold to discreet slavers, or an end buyer who requires a mass amount of slaves for some unknown purpose." Vanto's face darkened at the thought.

Kallus leaned back in his seat and simply looked at Vanto for any sign of duplicity. "Who is your contact?"

Vanto looked away. "It's not that I don't want to cooperate, but betraying my contact's trust - "

"In your hallucinations, you said you would take the concerns of the Chiss to Thrawn. Who are the Chiss?"

That one made him squirm a little, like a child who didn't want to give up a friend's secret he'd been trusted with. "I cannot tell you that."

Maybe he didn't have to. Kallus looked over the transcript again. "The name of Thrawn's race, perhaps?"

Vanto bit his lip. "I will bring the truth serum back in if I must," he said, not entirely unkindly, "and this can go from questioning back to interrogation. Either way, you're going to answer these questions."

"Yes," he capitulated after another moment of consideration. "That's the name of their race. In Wild Space, where I grew up, we used to tell stories about them. I didn't think they were real until I met him." Wild Space was a new lead into Thrawn's people then. Good.

"The concerns you said you'd take to him, were they related to this?"

Vanto closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, looking like a man who'd just damned himself to a painful execution and figured he might as well spill everything now. "I was on a newly designed patrol ship to observe its tactical abilities. We witnessed the activity, but the Chiss - with the exception of the Grand Admiral - don't believe in attacking anyone who doesn't directly attack them first. We retreated back to Chiss space to discuss it, and I was sent back to find Thrawn."

Thrawn was the only one of these 'Chiss' who believed in preemptive strikes? It was an interesting story, and if nothing else Kallus wasn't picking up any signs that Vanto was lying. Either all of this was a lie, or all of this was the truth. "What part of the 'activity' did you witness?"

"The prisoner transfers. We intercepted the transmission with the falsified records and orders, and went to the prison in question to observe at my request. The _ISB Indomitable_ was there. Some of the orders said the prisoners had died in a gas leak, but the number of prisoners taken aboard the star destroyer were equal the number of dead and transferred combined." Vanto's jaw tightened. "There were several children in that group under the age of fifteen. When I was sent out on my own and made contact with the Grand Admiral and Colonel Yularen, they were able to discreetly dig and find more - that's how I came up with the numbers I gave you."

Great. ISB was in on this too? Kallus was careful not to react.

"Where do you think the end-point is for the prisoners?" he asked. Whether he'd gotten to meet his contact or not, Vanto was bright, and he'd had a lot of training from Thrawn. Surely he'd formed his own conclusions.

"Somewhere between Vendaxa in the Zarracina sector and Iktotchon in the Narvath sector." Vanto chuckled slightly. "Thrawn aside, most high-ranking officers don’t attain that position by sticking their necks out, so I can't see some of them traveling too far from known hyperspace routes."

That felt different from everything else Vanto had said. The direction he'd flicked his eyes to before speaking, the way he was trying to look so normal about it. "It's not like nobody's ever mapped that empty space coreward and trailing of those systems," Kallus reminded him. He couldn't mention how many completely idiotic officers there were in the admiralty without blowing his cover, but there were plenty who would venture right into the darkness of the stars to make a few thousand extra credits. "There's a lot of open space in the Expansion Region."

Vanto shrugged, but remained tight lipped. Hmm. Probably not those two systems then, or there was a trap there waiting for anyone dumb enough to stumble into it.

The door opened. "Kenelm, you'd better come out here." Ezra said, voice tight. "We have company."

"Excuse me," he said, and stood. The door was locked behind him, and he lowered his voice so Vanto wouldn't hear. "Report."

Ezra had the common sense to follow his lead. "We're being hailed by an approaching ship. We have no idea what kind it is, but Fenn wants you in the cockpit."

"Okay. Stand guard outside the door. Under no circumstances should anybody but me enter right now - if he falls, if he's bleeding, I don't care. It could be a trick. You've pulled them often enough." Ezra made a face, but nodded.

Kallus rested a hand on his shoulder, and made for the cockpit, datapad in hand.

Fenn, Sabine, and Kanan were all present. "Where's Zeb?" he asked.

"Gun turret," Kanan answered. 

Oh good. Kallus took a seat at the comm station and took a deep breath. That ship was different. In his damn near twenty years of service to the Empire Kallus had seen all kinds of ships, but that one was extremely different. It was a gorgeous ship, what he could see of it - the bow was facing them - and he hoped Hera was getting as many readings as she could. "We're still operating under our fake identities for this operation, unless this is Thrawn and he's somehow figured out it's us. I want jump coordinates fed into the nav computer and ready to go. Send them to Chopper so we can jump when they're ready." Sabine nodded and got to work. "If we have to, I'll pull Vanto up here as a hostage. Their history together suggests Thrawn won't shoot at us if he knows we have him."

"You seem pretty sure it's Thrawn," Kanan said.

"I'm preparing for the worst," Kallus countered, and waited for the ship to hail them again. He took a deep breath, and pressed the key to answer the hail. "Unknown ship, identify yourself," Kallus requested in the same softer, more gentle tone he'd been using as Kenelm Lus'hek.

It seemed to throw off the communications officer for the other ship for a moment. After a ten-count, Kallus tried again, his voice still soft and steady. "Unknown ship, please identify yourself."

"This is the _Invictus_ ," said a familiar voice, with a familiar, Coruscanti accent. "Identify yourselves." Was that who he thought it was? Kallus frowned, stomach muscles clenching with a bit of nausea at the thought of it.

"You're the ones intruding on us," he pointed out, trying to sound annoyance without changing the volume of his voice. "What is it you want?"

Silence again, as though the speaker were being coached on an answer. Kallus muted the comm. "Get ready to jump," he ordered in a tone that had no room for argument.

"I sent the coordinates to Chopper," Sabine said. "They should flash us when they're ready to make the first jump." 

Kallus nodded, and the comm channel crackled to life. "You have a friend of mine," the achingly familiar voice said, more sternly than he'd ever heard it. "I want him back."

All he had to do was stall, and not reveal anything to the voice he was certain belonged to Lyste. Thrawn would have had no trouble at all gaining Yogar Lyste's trust after Kallus had framed him and then defected. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, throwing in a fake yawn. "Do you normally go around bothering people minding their own business, making fake accusations?"

Adjacent to them, Hera flashed her lights once to signal them, and dove down, under the strange ship. Fenn drove forward, breaking starboard around the ship, and into the space Hera's GX-1 had just been. He got them turned quickly, but the other ship was already maneuvering to follow. They blazed passed the cockpit, and Kallus caught a quick glimpse of the people inside before Fenn and Sabine had them in hyperspace.

Thrawn had somehow found them, and he'd dragged Yogar Lyste along for the ride.  
\---

Kallus, Fenn, and Zeb went back over Vanto with the scanner for the subcutaneous implants in the ship's medbay. This time Kallus was merciless about stripping him down and examining every single inch of the man's skin, but he was not above giving him a sedative to knock him and spare him the indignity of an extremely thorough search. The medical droid checked him for implants in organs or deeper tissue that didn't belong, and found none, so the two in rather inappropriate locations appeared to be it.

They were jettisoned via the airlock in hyperspace several minutes apart. 

Four course changes and seven arguments between ships about whether or not they ought to keep Vanto unconscious in the medbay the whole time, he broke the communications blackout to report his findings, his recommendations, and give a sitrep to General Draven. The majority of their time in hyperspace that he'd had to compose the report in his mind, Kallus had debated whether or not to leave out certain details. Doing so might end in his arrest if the wrong people took issue with it. A couple of the senators and generals didn't fully trust him, and the feeling was mutual. The politicians especially had no business making military decisions with no military experience.

Vanto's two named systems felt like traps.

The prisoner's logic was more-or-less sound, but Kallus had worked with far more of the admiralty over a much longer career. He'd investigated dozens of these men and women for corruption and disloyalty during his long and distinguished career in ISB's Internal Affairs branch. If it was for money they absolutely would risk going off known routes to sell former prisoners. Vanto may have suspected the first two systems or named them for another reason, but his gut was telling him not to go there.

Reporting the names of those planets before he could issue a full report with warnings would end up sending people there, most likely right into a trap for whoever was tripping over Thrawn's plans to deal with the traitors.

Because of his past with ISB, withholding information could end in his arrest. Kallus grappled with it for five standard hours before he decided that it was worth it if it didn't get people killed, interrogated, and the base discovered.

Unfortunately, he could only bar so many people from the cockpit in order to do that, so Sabine and Fenn were right there while he sent his encrypted report through, grim looks on their faces. "Little kids?" she whispered in horror, while they waited for the reply to come through.

"Yes," he confirmed, staring grimly at the floor. "I don't think he was lying about that. Generally, children aren't taken prisoner: they're found homes - good homes - with loyalist families. I've been forced to be part of that process myself. Clearly someone in a very high rank in that section of the galaxy is covering it up."

Were all children found homes though? Just because Kallus had tried to do his duty well didn't mean anybody else had. The two Mandalorians exchanged a look, and Sabine stood up to put a hand on his shoulder. He gave her a grateful smile. "I get it, kind of," she said. "You know what they made me do to my people. I know you thought you were doing the right thing at the time too."

He rested a hand on her hand, his smile dropping. "I did. I was wrong, and now that I know that, I freely admit it; however, knowing that I was trying to do the right thing doesn't always make coping easier, Sabine. There are far too many nights in the last several months I've spent lying awake and wishing I'd started asking questions sooner than I did."

Sabine opened her mouth to speak, but a transmission was coming through the decrypt. "Hold that thought," he said, and pulled the headset back on. He hit the button as soon as it was ready.

It was a short message, containing only a set of coordinates that he repeated to Fenn, and simple instructions: _after your current jump, proceed to these coordinates. The Fleet will be waiting._

"I guess we're going after them," he said, pulling off the headset. "Don't relay that to Hera just yet. I'd rather dock to pass that message on."

"What did Draven say?" Fenn asked.

"Those coordinates, after this jump, and that the Fleet will meet us there."

Sabine sighed, relieved. "That's good, I guess, unless Thrawn manages to keep up with us and decides to bring friends."

"Considering we've eliminated the last of the tracking devices, I don't think that will happen. We're also not going to check out the first two systems he gave us, at least not right away." Kallus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

Fenn leaned back in his seat. "You didn't trust his answer?"

Kallus shook his head. "Not entirely. It was more of a gut feeling. He said he suspected those systems because, Thrawn aside, the higher ranks don't like taking risks."

Sabine snorted. "Exactly," Kallus said. "I was in charge of investigating many in the higher ranks, and when I was promoted to the ISB rank of commander, I had enough authority to walk onto an admiral's star destroyer and give him or her orders. They take stupid risks when they get greedy, and they'll do idiotic things for even a few thousand extra credits."

"What are you thinking?" Fenn asked, leaning forward. 

Kallus pulled up the star chart for the Denon system, and zoomed out so the area between there and the Mid Rim was visible. "He named Vendaxa and Iktotchon." A couple of quick taps highlighted the two, and the hyperspace route it was off of: the Corellian Run. "Over here, however, is a massive area of nothing, somewhat convenient to other hyperspace routes. It's not often patrolled by Imperial ships, and no one would notice star destroyers meeting with pirates."

"And if they were meeting nearer to a star system, someone would see something," Sabine chimed in.

"Precisely," Kallus praised.

Fenn glanced over at the nav computer to check on the countdown, then back at them. "Is that why you didn't report the planets he named, dear heart?"

"High Command will want to send people right into whatever traps are set up there if I do," Kallus scowled, arms crossed over his chest.

Sabine plopped into the sensor station chair across from him. "Yeah, but you agreed to not withhold information as a condition of your commission. If they arrest you there's nothing you can do to help any of us."

He knew. "I'm not permanently withholding it, Sabine," he argued gently, leaning forward to talk to her. "This is something I need to corner General Draven or the fleet CO about when we board because otherwise some idiot in High Command who isn't as familiar with Thrawn's tactics as any of us are won't sense the trap and will walk people and valuable resources right into it. People that might talk under Imperial interrogation techniques. It's not worth the risk. Those lives and the location of our base are worth jail time, Sabine."

Surprise was plain on both their faces, but she nodded. Fenn's melted into a look of pride. "You've come a long way in five years," she said.

Kallus gave her a proud look - he really had. "Well, that's not entirely my fault. I think we have to blame Zeb for starting the process. If he'd never given me that meteorite and been so damn nice the whole time we were trapped on that moon, I'd never have started asking questions."

"He still won't take credit for it," she confided with a secretive grin. "Zeb gets all embarrassed about it."

"Emotional or surprising events are difficult for many beings to discuss. It takes a certain level of shamelessness to be able to discuss everything freely." That was something he knew all too well. Several things had happened to him that were too embarrassing or sparked other emotions strong enough that kept Kallus from being able to easily discuss them. 

The navcomputer beeped once, and Fenn turned around, devoting his attention to it. "Ten seconds," he reported.

Kallus nodded. "If we've not been followed, signal them to dock. We'll give them the final coordinates and make our last jump."  
\---

They'd not been followed, according to the ship's sensors and both of the Jedi, but Kallus still felt apprehensive about docking. It was a vulnerable position for them to be in. He ordered everyone onto alert and their battle stations instead of allowing any socializing, and only permitted Chopper to come over to quickly get the coordinates for the next jump. If Thrawn showed up, he wanted them armed, and ready to break apart and go. Coming so close to him again had Kallus more on edge than he wanted to admit. Having been forced to watch so many lives snuffed out by him once had not been easy to learn to cope with. Kallus had barely escaped a court martial and very public execution, or a court martial and very painful and humiliating re-education process. That was not something he wanted to put any of his crew through.

Nothing happened.

There were no ships, no threats, and they were able to separate and make the jump in peace. Kallus relieved Sabine in the co-pilot's seat with a look on his face that was probably as much shock as relief. He completely missed Fenn gesturing for both her and Ezra to step out for a minute. "We actually lost him," he exhaled, incredulous, staring out at the star lines blazing passed them.

Hands were suddenly on his shoulders, firm and warm, and kneading into muscles he hadn't realized were tense. "Breathe, dear heart," his lover prompted. Fenn bent down to kiss over his neck. "You have to keep breathing. We're safe now. You're safe."

Kallus nodded, and took a deep breath. "The kids are safe."

"Mmm." Fenn carded his hands through Kallus's hair, one after the other, and then dragged his fingertips over the scalp in an effort to rub away the tension. "The kids are safe. Once we rendezvous with the Fleet, that'll be it. You'll have accomplished your first major mission for the Alliance, Kent. You got us into and out of Denon, we got the target, you got the information, and you'll have us home safe with all hands accounted for."

"I'm nervous." 

"The information you didn't give them?"

"If they won't listen to me, or if I'm wrong, it'll either be a disaster or a waste of valuable resources. I'm not used to caring about either of those things."

Fenn bent down to press a few gentle kisses to his neck: he knew right where to plant them to make Kallus melt into his seat. "ISB didn't make you follow a budget?"

Kallus reached back to run a hand through Fenn's hair. "My budget for Lothal was massive. I never got close to hitting cost per quarter. COMPNOR received a large sum of money, so ISB and Imperial Intelligence did as well. I achieved a high rank early in my career, and was always given a more than adequate budget. If I needed more for an operation, I never had an issue with a justifiable request for the difference.

"But the Alliance doesn't have access to those kinds of resources. Any mistake I make hurts a lot more than just me." His tone was quiet. They were trusting him with so much. All of them were always so easily trusting: it was nearly enough to drive a man mad. Sometimes it was like wandering the galaxy with a group of toddlers, eager to say hello to every being they passed, and share everything they had, whether or not it was safe to do so.

It was utterly, annoyingly, stupidly endearing: not that Kallus would ever admit that.

Arms wrapped around his shoulders. "You're such a worrier," Fenn murmured into his ear. "Take comfort in knowing that you have done your part. You've done and you will do everything you can to make sure that no one dies unnecessarily, and no resources are wasted. Part of the reason they chose you for this is that you are experienced with the Imperial officers involved, and that means you can guide your superiors to make the right choices." He paused, tempted, apparently, by Kallus's ear. The lobe was gently teased between his teeth for a moment - only until the younger man shivered - before Fenn continued, "the final decision is not yours, nor is it your responsibility. That's on High Command. If they ignore your warnings, that's their fault. Not yours. Do you understand me?"

The firm voice, the strength in Fenn's arms: they were exactly what Kallus needed right now. Support. "I understand," he said, unable to suppress another shiver. That was so close to what they had been doing the last two weeks and his body reacted to the tone with immediate arousal. 

"Very good," Fenn murmured into his ear. "You're getting hard, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Kallus uttered, raising his hands to rest on his lover's arms. "Yes. It's the tone you used, I think. The same one from when we were practicing."

Fenn was still for a moment, thinking. He kissed Kallus's cheek, and pulled away to sit in the pilot's seat. "We have time for something you said before you'd like to save for later, if you're interested. It would help you get out of your head a little before the debriefing as well."

They were in the cockpit. Either of the kids, or Zeb, or Kanan could come in here at any moment. Kallus hesitated only a second. He could at least hear his lover out. "Which 'something' is that, darling?"

A small smile lit up Fenn's face. "I would love to watch you touch yourself."

That turned him red. "Right here? I could end up traumatizing either of the kids, Fenn!" Except that everyone on board was an adult, and there was no doubt in his mind that some of them might try to stay and watch.

He was definitely hard.

"Right here," the sexy old bastard said. Kallus didn't know if he wanted to kiss him or ride him when he leaned back like that. "There is a catch, of course: you're to do it exactly as I tell you, or do exactly what I tell you. You'll face forward the whole time, and you will not stop, even if someone walks in. I'll handle them if that happens."

Oh hell. He couldn't say no. Kallus didn't have it in him to say no. Wherever this exhibitionist streak had come from, he was glad he hadn't known about it sooner. Someone would have caught and executed him for it in the Empire.

"Any other rules?"

Fenn smirked. Kallus was very glad he was sitting. Something about the mischievousness of that one made him weak in the knees. "Three more: you can't cum without my permission, you will tell me if you need to stop and why, and you will address me as 'sir' until I allow you finish."

Kallus swore under his breath because two of those rules went straight to his nerve endings pretty much everywhere. "If I break a rule?"

"The corner, later tonight. Two minutes for every infraction. If you hit ten minutes you will not be allowed to orgasm until we are granted a rest period and I see fit to allow your release. That seemed to work before. I really did not like spanking you as a punishment." Fenn's face darkened a little. Kallus had hated it. He'd hated having to practice that, and he'd hated it when Fenn had administered it a few days ago. As punishments went, it was incredibly effective (had they been forced to stay on Denon a few more days, Kallus would have remembered to not raise his voice to Wedge or Sabine at all - hell, he might remember it forever), but spankings were meant to be enjoyed.

That was agreeable. Kallus didn't mind being put in the corner at all, though he had yet to fully decipher why. A decisive nod indicated his consent. 

Fenn's cocky smirk returned. "Then tell me the rules you're agreeing to, and the punishment for breaking them."

Hearing them fall from the lips of his lover was so easy: saying such dirty words aloud where any of their crew could walk right in and hear this discussion was much more difficult. It was instinct both to look Fenn in the eye and speak at a normal volume and to avert his eyes and lower his voice. Caught between the two, Kallus settled for looking at Fenn's bony knees and speaking at a volume between the two.

"No," Fenn interrupted, as soon as Kallus opened his mouth. "Look me in the eye."

Kallus snapped his eyes up. It was the first time he'd really looked at Fenn since Sabine had managed to drag him off to tidy his hair. This time it was a slightly darker shade of brown, nearly to the shade of his beard, and she'd added grays to his temples, hair, beard, and mustache. _'Distinguished and wise'_ was always the phrase he'd heard used to describe men when they'd begun to gray. _'You look so good I need you in me now'_ was probably the phrase he would use to describe the same look on Fenn Rau. 

Right. Fenn had asked him to do something. Kallus gave himself a mental shake. "I - I am to face forward the entire time, and not stop no matter who enters. I must touch myself and follow orders exactly as you say, address you as 'sir' - " Fenn shifted his legs enough for Kallus to see that he was getting plenty hard and suddenly all he wanted to do was take care of _that_. "I could take care of that instead, if you want?" 

Fenn chuckled, and slid his palm over it through his trousers. "No. You'll get it when it pleases me to give it to you. Finish the task given to you, dear heart, or you won't get it tonight at all. I'll make you watch me bring myself off instead."

"Yes, sir," he breathed, eyes glued to that hand for just a moment before he remembered where his eyes were supposed to be, and looked up. "I'm not allowed to finish without your permission, and I have to tell you if I need to stop, and why."

Kallus bit his lower lip, eyes dropping right back down to Fenn's hand.

"And the consequences, Kent?"

"Two minutes in the corner for every infraction, up to ten minutes, after which I do not get to finish," he recited.

Fenn shifted, moving his hand away. "You've already earned four minutes. I said to look me in the eye. You looked away twice." Like Kallus could have resisted that? "Turn around and face forward."

"Yes, sir." At least from this position nobody would be able to see his cock once he had it out, shamelessly drooling with pre-cum as he stroked it. 

"Very good. Go ahead and pull it out: I want to see it."

A little shy because of their location, Kallus did as ordered. He'd forgone any underwear after the second round of sex so all he had to do was open his trousers to free it. It stood tall, flopped against his tunic, the light color of which was a nice contrast to the flushed color of his cock. Fenn looked his fill, licked his lips, and then reached into the pocket of his trousers to pull out the smallest of the three tubes of lubricant they'd packed for the trip and spread throughout their belongings. He passed it to his lover.

"You may use this whenever you feel the need to do so," he said. "No permission needed."

Kallus took the tube and nodded. This wasn't going to be something quick and dirty then. A glance at the navcomputer readout at the copilot's station indicated they still had over three hours to go. Fenn would keep him wound up until he was ready to break from pleasure and following orders was nigh-impossible, most likely. 

"Tease yourself, dear heart. Fingertips only. You may not touch the head of your cock. Use no pressure at all."

 _Asshole,_ Kallus thought fondly, and obeyed the order anyway. "Yes, sir." He leaned his head back against the seat rest to better show off the hickeys on his neck as a reminder to Fenn of their earlier activities. It was impossible to use no pressure at all against his dick and still feel the touch, so he disobeyed the order just a little. Starting at the frenulum, he slid all four fingers down the raphe, thumb following topside, then stilling as it reached the bottom. His other four fingers kept going lower, following the seam of his skin down the front of his balls, and behind them. Kallus slid his thumb around to follow as his fingers slid lower, following the line down his perineum, to brush over his entrance, and then back up to do it again.

Going at this pace, with a very light pressure such as this, Kallus could tease himself for hours. He'd done it before, on the very rare day off he'd had as an ISB agent. Edging was a surefire way to a powerful and satisfying orgasm, even if it meant you were likely to get interrupted by a superior or an underling - 

_Don't think about that right now,_ he scolded himself firmly. _Focus on performing for Fenn. Your past lovers no longer matter._

He was definitely performing for Fenn: the man was an attentive audience. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the older man watching him closely, hungrily taking in every detail as Kallus obediently teased his cock and balls with his fingertips. Now and again his hand trailed into his trousers to stroke over his perineum or to tease over his eager hole. Every time, Fenn straightened a little in his seat. On his fifth tease over it, Kallus let his fingertip slip in just a little, and the suddenness with which his body accepted it made him moan and squirm in his seat.

"What is it?" Fenn asked softly, voice already deeper with want.

"I barely even touched it, but my fingertip slid right inside, sir," Kallus replied, head leaned back against the seat rest as he panted. He didn't move. He didn't dare.

Fenn moaned, eyes closing for a moment as though asking some deity for patience he did not possess. "Kent, my dear heart," he sounded strained, "I want you to fuck yourself with only that one finger, and no deeper than you currently have it."

Kallus groaned, but obeyed. He moved his other hand to take over teasing his cock with his fingers, since he had not been given leave to quit. "Good boy," Fenn praised quietly, tone making it obvious he was very pleased. "Can you spread your legs a little wider for me?"

The pants were too tight - he tried. "No, sir." Now that the suggestion had been made, he badly wanted to spread them nice and wide for Fenn. 

Even though they were in the cockpit.

Even though anybody could walk in and see him fingering himself in the copilot's seat.

His eyes slid shut.

"Stop for a moment, then," Fenn ordered. Kallus groaned. He was slow to obey, and desperately did not want to quit, but did so. "Pull your trousers down to your knees, and press your feet flat against the edge of the console. It should give you better access and let me see more of what you're doing." 

It would also give anybody who interrupted them a better show. Kallus did as he was told, careful to make sure his booted feet wouldn't hit anything important, and settled back in the seat. "Perfect," his lover praised, shifting in his seat so he could see better. "As you were."

Fenn's eyes were so intent on him. Kallus badly wished he could do more than look back at him out of the corner of his eye; instead, all he could see was that Fenn was sliding his palms over the tops of his thighs, not quite touching himself yet. Greedily, Kallus pushed his fingertip back inside himself, wishing already he could have more than that. His body was perfectly used to more. Lately it seemed like he only had to strip in order to get ready for sex. 

The fingers on his cock were light, but he couldn't resist adding a little more pressure. It wasn't much, but it did make him cant his hips up slightly into the touch. He moaned softly, did it again a little harder - 

\- and a hand on his wrist stopped him. 

Kallus looked away from the viewport, and over at Fenn, who had grabbed his wrist. "Eyes forward," Fenn reminded him calmly. "That's four more minutes, dear heart. Two for turning your head, and two for adding pressure when you knew you were not supposed to. You're up to eight. If you break another rule, you will not be permitted to cum for hours."

The thought of that was arousing and maddeningly infuriating. ["My apologies, sir,"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10909890) Kallus said, wetting his lips and returning his eyes to the forward position.

"Apology accepted." Fenn kissed the top of his head, and released him to settle back into his seat. "Slick up that finger currently inside you. I want it completely inserted. You may fuck yourself only with that. You're not to touch yourself besides that finger."

A deep breath helped him hold onto his self-control, and he obeyed with trembling hands, slicking up the single digit and pressing it smoothly into himself in one slow thrust. Having long fingers was a blessing because he could slide his middle finger over his prostate exactly the way he liked with every push in and pull out. Fenn had given him no direction at all on speed, so Kallus started out slowly, hoping to keep control. His other hand dangled by his side, far away from temptation, from bringing a premature halt to this. Focusing on his breathing helped him not look over to see what Fenn was doing, though it was very difficult to not think about that. Was he touching himself? Stroking his hands over that thick cock while watching Kallus fuck himself with a single finger?

If his own fingers were as thick as Zeb's were, one might be enough, but it was quickly going from being an acceptable stretch to not at all enough of one. One finger was a tease. It might as well have been a beginner's sex toy: Kallus was far too used to his lover just pushing his way inside once lube had been liberally applied. 

He groaned in frustration, and Fenn chuckled. "Do you want another finger, dear heart?" 

"Yes, sir," he said, reminding himself firmly not to move his head.

"Very well. You may add a second finger, using your other hand only."

His other hand? Kallus shifted his position slightly for the sake of his lower back, and pressed in his other middle finger. _At least I had the foresight to use extra lubrication._

It was a good idea, using both hands, he soon found out. This way he could stretch himself open as much as he wanted to. Feeling full was nearly impossible without the hot thickness of another pressing into him, but being able to pull himself open was a semi-decent substitute. His cockhead was rubbing against the soft fabric of his shirt with every thrust, and Fenn had eventually gotten up to come closer. He stroked over Kallus's balls as the younger man fucked himself on his own fingers, calmly watching him as though he were a family pet. The seeming disinterest on his face didn't reach his eyes, and hell, which was hotter: the feigned disinterest, or the burning need in his eyes to shove Kallus to the deck and fuck him stupid?

Fenn reached out and added a finger to Kallus's, watched him squirm. That pushed him close, right to the edge. His lover did it as though casually checking to see how relaxed he was was something he did every day. There was no stopping the whimper that escaped him, the sound he typically made right before he finished. 

"Don’t," Fenn ordered. A strong hand gripped his balls, rolled them gently, and then tugged them down and away from his body a little, denying him.

It was not what Kallus wanted. He threw his head back, and looked up at his lover, breath ragged, bottom lip slightly swollen from being bitten. "Please, sir. Please let me."

That damnable smirk came back. "No, Kent. You'll get off when it pleases me to reward you, and no sooner."

A whine, quickly cut off, was his response to that. Kallus bucked his hips, trying to get Fenn's finger deeper into him like his own fingers were. "Darling, please, I want to cum for you."

"If you keep begging me, I'll make you wait longer, dear heart. Do as you're ordered, and you'll be rewarded. Stop begging." Fenn's tone was firm.

Kallus bit his lip. It was a clear order, but he was so close. He had to back off the pace, or he was going to be in trouble. Kallus slowed down a little, closing his eyes for a moment and biting at his bottom lip again. 

A fourth finger entered him then, and Fenn's fingers were moving faster than his. Kallus's eyes shot open, and he looked up in shock. Fenn's smirk was a little cruel, but it only made him hotter. "Good boy. Eyes open. Match my rhythm."

He wasn't going to be able to stop his orgasm if he did. Kallus made a noise that might have been a choked off sob, but obeyed. Fenn relented, but kept a firm hand on Kallus, not letting go, not letting him reach the orgasm he was so desperately close to. Only when he was near to begging again, and probably looked wrecked and fucked out, did the pace slow down slightly. 

Fenn withdrew his fingers, only to slick up his other hand. Kallus watched, still fucking himself, because he didn't dare stop. The other hand took his shaft in hand, and it only took five strokes before he was begging again. Fenn stopped immediately, and the part of Kallus that was still aware of what was going on thought he did it on purpose.

"That's ten minutes, Kent. You disobeyed another order." Kallus whined. That one he would admit to. Fenn gripped his wrists with his clean hand and withdrew them. "Don't move for me. I may have a compromise for you."

He was listening. From his pocket, Fenn withdrew a small package wrapped in stericloth1. As the cloth unraveled it revealed a dark blue, bulb-shaped item with a flared base. It wasn't too thick or too small either. Butt plugs could be difficult to get in a decent size, and Fenn had chosen well. "You want me to wear it. How long?"

"Until tonight, or it becomes uncomfortable," Fenn answered with a small smile. "You get to feel full, and I get to know that this is what you're wearing under your clothing until it's time for your punishment.

"And you will be punished for breaking the rules."

Kallus shivered, and his lover looked smug. There were a lot of emotions associated with being punished. "Will you be checking to make sure I'm wearing it?" he asked, because that was easier than dealing with his assorted emotions.

Fenn tilted his head slightly to the side. "Do you want me to? I suppose I could slide up behind you in the hallways or a meeting and casually brush my hand over your ass to see if you've still got it inside you."

"Please," Kallus requested quietly. "I like the thought of it. Put it in me."

Fenn shivered, and it was Kallus's turn to look smug. "As you wish," the older man acquiesced. A generous amount of lube was applied to the silicone toy, and then it was carefully worked in, until it slid home. Kallus moaned, and squeezed around it just to see how it felt. It was good. It felt good. Fenn nodded, and handed him a towel he'd probably stashed earlier after wiping off his hands. How long had he been planning this?

"Clean up, and redress. You are not to touch yourself again until I give you permission, dear heart." Fenn leaned down, and gave him a kiss. "I'll make it worth your while."

As annoying as it was to not get to finish, there was no doubt in Kallus's mind that Fenn would make it more than worth his while. Kallus really didn't mind at all.

\---

Zeb had eventually joined him in the cockpit after Fenn had left to pack their things and make sure everyone else was ready to go. Kallus was sitting properly in the copilot's seat, both distracted and not distracted by the plug inside him, and by the heat of arousal that still pooled in his stomach. Preparing his initial report on Vanto was his current task, and he was finding it fairly strange that he could focus on it at all right now, given what Fenn had recently put him through.

The sound of someone sniffing the air was what alerted him to Zeb's presence. Kallus turned around and looked up, and then turned pink. "Sorry," he apologized. "I know you don't like the smell."

Zeb's ears flattened back, and he looked away as he sat in the pilot's seat across from Kallus. "It's not that. It doesn't smell bad, just weird to associate your scent with sex. And Rau's. Though I guess you didn't get very far. Er, not that it's my business, but I can smell that you didn't, you know, and given that you two are always - "

Kallus cut him off with a soft laugh. "Relax, Zeb."

The lasat stared resolutely at Kallus's boot. "We didn't finish. I don't think he intended for me to, either. This thing going on between Fenn and I is a little odd, even for a human relationship."

"I don't understand it, and the kids keep asking me questions they don't want to ask Kanan or Hera."

Ah. Kallus suspected there was more to it than that. He locked the datapad and stood, sat it on his seat, and moved to stand behind Zeb where he could easily rub his ears and relax him. "Ask me whatever you want to ask, Zeb. I have nothing to hide from you on that front."

"What's the point of sex where you intentionally don't finish?" Zeb was baffled.

Kallus chuckled softly and switched to massaging the top of his head. "I imagine some might use it as a way to tease: a way to build up the sexual tension for later. Maybe that was part of his intention, given what he gave me at the end, but I believe this was an exercise in comfort."

Zeb leaned his head back to look at Kallus skeptically. "Comfort?" His tone made it clear there was no way that made any sense.

"Yes." The human switched from the pads of his fingers to his nails, something Zeb especially loved. "Zeb, I was in the Empire for nearly twenty years. Before that, I grew up with very strict parents and child-minders. All of the boarding schools and academies I attended had rigid rules and disciplinary policies in place, and now I'm here. The rebellion has next to none of that. The loss of discipline and structure leaves me feeling frustrated quite a lot of the time.

"My relationship with Fenn gives it back to me in one area of my life, and I find that's enough to pull me through everything else when I'm stressed. He laid out rules for me earlier, with consequences. I broke the rules, and so now I must be disciplined." Zeb tilted his back, a protective look on his face. 

"If he's going to hit you again - "

Kallus turned Zeb's chair, and bent down to press their foreheads together. "He's not. Relax."

Zeb grumbled, and Kallus reached a hand back up to scratch behind his ear again. Might as well traumatize him as much as he had Sabine, since it could possibly set his mind more at ease. "I'm not allowed to cum until after the debriefings, if he decides then to give me permission. I have to kneel in the corner for ten minutes later, and I probably won't be allowed to touch him in a sexual manner until tomorrow." He decided not to tell Zeb about the plug. Zeb didn't need to know. Kallus didn't want anybody to know about that but him and Fenn. It was their secret for him to jealously guard.

"This isn't considered abuse?" his friend grunted, still looking at him suspiciously when Kallus pulled away. 

"No, because we both discussed and agreed to the rules and consequences," Kallus explained. Zeb reached out a hand to him, tugged him close again. "If he was doing this to me against my will, without my express consent, then yes. It would be, and I wouldn't tolerate it."

Silence passed between them for a moment as they looked at each other, one of Zeb's hands dwarfing his, the other on his hip to keep him there. "All right. But if he hurts you, or you need someone to talk to so you can sort this out, I'm right here, Kal."

Kallus smiled. "I know, Zeb. Neither of us are going anywhere, remember? I'm here for you, and you're here for me."

"And don't you forget it," Zeb grinned back. "If you need to anything, I'm right here to rip your head off and put it back on straight."

The mental image brought a pained look to Kallus's face. "Phrasing, Zeb."

Zeb laughed, and let him go. "Finish your report, Kal," he said. "The less time we're stuck in debriefing, the more time you'll have for a better 'debriefing.'"

"Why did I even switch sides?" Kallus bitched, as he picked up his datapad and gingerly sat back down.

"I've got more - "

"Zeb, I'm going to make you give a full, formal report if you make one more sex pun." Kallus threatened, turning to give the lasat a semi-serious glare.

There was silence for all of ten seconds, and just as Kallus turned to his datapad, a murmur came from his left. "Only if it's oral."

"Zeb!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed the link in text, tauntaun did a lovely photo manipulation inspired by the cockpit scene. ["My apologies, sir."](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10909890)
> 
> Boy, this sure was full of some nice, happy stuff around a dark conversation, haha. Sure would be good if we could keep that up forever, wouldn't it? Ahahahahaha. Ahaha. Aha. Ahhhh. Bring tissues and your favorite comfort food/item for chapter 4, kids.
> 
> I will not confirm nor deny if it really was Thrawn and Lyste yet. Unless you ask me really nicely or bribe me.
> 
> What else? I really enjoyed writing in the bit with Zeb and Kallus at the end. They haven't discussed since Zeb was annoyed at the smell way back in chapter one. We've seen him slowly be supportive, but I wanted to clear it up a bit more, and have more of that close friendship we all love in here. I'm not sure if I'm building toward polyamory, but it's an option. Please try not to be disappointed either way.  
> \---
> 
> 1: How to make up a Star Wars item: 
> 
> Step One: Pretend the language is German and just slap two half-words together.  
> Step Two: Congrats. You have a compound word. That's good enough.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You've been ruminating over family," Fenn realized. Kallus tensed, afraid the other man might continue before he could prepare himself for hearing those other words, but Fenn stilled, and he relaxed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is heavy on emotions, and tackles some questions about family. It's also got the tail end of a D/s sex scene.
> 
>  **Chapter Warnings:** Safe, Sane, and Consensual through Praise Kink. Honestly though, this has a bit of all the sex in it.

There was a toy inside him, he'd been wound up and left to hang by his lover not long before their rendezvous with the Fleet1, and yet Kallus had somehow been more focused through the debriefings that had awaited him than he had for any previous ones. In his debriefings with the team, General Draven, and then with Command Kallus had found himself articulate and calm enough to express his misgivings with the planets Vanto had originally named in a way that nobody even suggested (at least, not aloud) that he had withheld the information. Kallus hadn't even flinched until he'd described the brief encounter with Thrawn, but he felt that was to be expected.

All of them were at least a little afraid of Thrawn.

After how Phoenix Squadron and the Massassi Group had been so easily decimated at Atollon they would have to be insane to not be even a tiny bit afraid of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Kallus, who knew him better than any of the other rebels, was a lot more than "a little bit" afraid of Thrawn.

They'd brought Vanto aboard with them for further interrogation anyway. It suited Kallus just fine. Everyone coming off the mission to Denon was given a couple days of leave (left intentionally vague just in case something related came up or Vanto's second interrogation was over sooner than expected, he was sure) while the another IO confirmed his information. They were all given quarters aboard ship, assigned in groups of two or three, and Fenn didn't hesitate to pull him away to theirs when all the debriefings were finished. Zeb and Kanan whistled after them, the kids made complaints about the insinuated grossness of the whistling, and Hera scolded all of them for making a scene while Rex laughed at them. Fenn and Kallus shrugged off the good-natured teasing. It was well passed time for them to have a few hours to themselves again. 

This room was quiet and out of the way, and because of Kallus's rank, had its own refresher. Yeomen had already brought their stuff up, so they locked the rest of the galaxy out, and Fenn pushed Kallus right up against the door for a good, hard kiss. Kallus slid both his hands into Fenn's hair to better hold him close for the duration of it, somewhat mimicking the way Fenn's bare hands cupped his still-bare face. Here, alone at last, with the danger of the mission behind them and the galaxy narrowed down to the only the two of them, he felt safe enough to try to relax.

Fenn was aware of the weight closing the door behind them took off of Kallus's shoulders: that much was visible on his still-bearded face when he drew back from the kiss. Kallus knew when he was being studied by someone else, and he knew when they had read him correctly. "Remove your clothes, and then you will kneel in that corner, facing the right angle of the walls," the older man tilted his head, indicating the corner of the room closest to the refresher, and farthest from the large bunk, "for ten minutes. This is your punishment from earlier, dear heart. Let's get that out of the way first so we can enjoy each other's company instead."

A shiver went straight to Kallus's cock. "Yes, sir," he breathed against Fenn's lips, delighting in the groan that got him, and did as he was told once Fenn stepped away. He'd been waiting eagerly to continue this since they stopped earlier. The older man took his dirty clothes, and stopped Kallus briefly once he was naked to tease him with the plug Kallus still wore. Kallus let Fenn move the toy inside him, gasping once when it felt like the older man might pull it out to properly fuck him with it. He was left wanting: the plug was pushed firmly back into place, and Kallus was sent to go kneel.

Fenn was moving around the room behind him, likely handling laundry if the rustle of clothing was anything to go by, and passing in and out of the refresher. It struck Kallus that maybe this was why he liked being put in the corner as a punishment. His thoughts didn't wander far from his lover at all; instead, he was focused on hearing and feeling Fenn move through their shared space. Listening to the familiar footsteps and the breathing patterns of the older man soothed him and distracted him from his worries. The walls in front of him and the sounds behind him were isolating, further narrowing everything in existence to only this.2

Only them.

It was difficult to be concerned about the Empire, about Thrawn, about the disorganized mess that was the rebellion, about the chaos of the small family that had adopted him despite of or because of his crimes, when his senses were so narrowed. Kallus relaxed in increments, except for the muscles holding the plug in place. Until Fenn was ready to take him, or there was some other need that required its removal, he was strangely loathe to take it out. Feeling full was nice.

Kallus felt more grounded right now than he had in days.

Soft footfalls behind him - Fenn was barefoot now - were his only warning before there was a hand on top of his head carding gently through his hair. "Time's up, Kent. Before I let you rise, tell me: why was it necessary to discipline you?"

"Because I broke the rules you set earlier five times, and this was part of the agreed upon punishment for doing so."

Fenn gave his hair a small tug. "Good. Stand up, and be still." Kallus obeyed, and Fenn's hands were immediately on his back, tracing over his shoulders, his spine, then down his sides and back up. It felt dizzyingly good, having those warm palms working over his cooled skin. Fenn continued for a few minutes, then his hands slid down to possessively cup Kallus's rear. A blush covered his cheeks - there was no helping it - and spread to the back of his neck and the tips of his ears before traveling lower. Fenn chuckled, traced the spread of the flush with a finger tip, and moved his hands lower still, to tease Kallus with the plug.

He gasped (really, how could he not?), as his lover twisted it inside him for a moment, and then instructed Kallus to lean forward and brace his hands against the wall. Fenn gripped the flared base and removed the toy.3 "Good boy," he praised softly, setting it aside. Four fingers slid in where the toy previously was. "You're gaping for me, dear heart. I worry my own cock might not be enough to fill you properly. You did so well."

That praise was starting to get to him. Fenn used it frequently in bed (and always in these situations), and Kallus frequently found his body reacting to almost immediately. It had his cock standing proudly at attention, for one, and left him wanting to do anything to hear more of it. "You're more than enough," he replied quietly. "Please let me show you, darling."

"Soon," Fenn promised. That tone held quite a bit of foreshadowing. "Soon. First, go use the refresher. Clean up well for me. I intend to use you very thoroughly tonight and if you behave, I may let you cum once I've had my fill of you."

Kallus nodded, eager to please, eager to get to finish, and Fenn let him go. His lover clearly had something interesting planned, and he very much wanted to see what it was.  
\---

The plan turned out to be more than worth the wait and the process of cleaning himself inside and out, though Fenn made him sit through a long negotiation process before he would even touch Kallus. Kallus was surprised at what he had personally asked for, at his willingness to experiment even before their agreed upon deadline of the return to Yavin. Being back amongst the Fleet was surely responsible for that: safety in numbers was a powerful thing to the human psyche. 

Between them, a lot was suggested: much of it was discarded. There were only so many things they could do at once. The intensity of what Kallus was willing to admit he wanted once they had started talking about what they both needed from this session tonight surprised him. His willingness to try new things with Fenn was another. Kallus wasn't at all willing to agree to something like being tied up or cuffed - nor did he think he ever would be, purely due to previous circumstances - but having his wrists held were fine. 

There were other activities the older man wanted to introduce him to that he was willing to sample. Overstimulation was something he had considered trying with previous partners, but had never quite got up the nerve to request. Fenn was quite fond of oral as well, both giving and receiving in all its forms, and insisted the two went together well. Kallus certainly wasn't going to complain about receiving oral from a man that experienced, not now that his beard was long enough and well-oiled enough that burn wasn't a concern.

Orgasm denial, or "edging" was relatively new to him as well. Once or twice on his own, yes, he'd backed off a little to have a more powerful orgasm. Fenn took it to new heights, and admitted that he delighted in the power it gave him over his lover's body. There was something about hearing a person beg for it, and then whimpering or pleading when he refused them. A sadistic glint in his eye had made Kallus shiver, had been what made him agree to it. So long as he got to cum tonight, he was willing to try it. He was willing to try the cock ring, and to address Fenn as "Sir," all for that glimmer in his lover's eye that promised this would be damn good. A word for stopping immediately had been agreed upon, and a method for Fenn to check on him had been established in case he forgot the word mid-fuck.

Fenn had not disappointed him yet.

So far, Fenn had cum once in Kallus's mouth and again in his ass. He felt fucked out, utterly wrecked and quite thoroughly used. The younger man was trembling with need and exhaustion, and feeling far too good to even care if anybody passing by his cabin heard the filthy sounds he made or the occasional pleading with his lover to let him show him how good he would be if Sir would please allow him his release. The thing of it though, was that as much as he wanted his lover to give in to him, part of Kallus delighted in being firmly told no every time. It was frustrating, contradicting, and every denial was more arousing than the last. The ring at the base of his cock and his lover's close monitoring of his condition kept him from his orgasm, and it would be that way until his lover decided it was time for him to cum.

Fenn had his hands pinned behind his back, face pressed into a pillow, and knees spread wide. When Fenn had finished the last time, one hand on the back of Kallus's neck and the other holding his hip, he'd pulled out, and watched as his release followed. Sweet words of praise had fallen from his lips as he described the sight to Kallus and he'd thought, he'd hoped, that Fenn might allow his release now that he'd finished twice. Politely, humbly as he could, Kallus had asked, had reminded him what a good fuck he'd been, how well he had taken Sir's cock tonight, and please, please could he cum?

Now Fenn was licking him clean, though there couldn't possibly be anything left for the man's greedy tongue to devour. He kissed over the perineum, then dragged his tongue over the back of Kallus's balls and sucked one into his mouth. The younger man practically sobbed, near desperate for release. His mouth retreated, and Kallus cried out at the loss of the pleasurable sensation, only to whimper when the tongue pressed inside him again, easily accompanied by two fingers.

"Please, Sir, I need it!" Kallus tried to fuck back onto them, but the grip on his wrists tightened hard and he froze. Trying to move forward had the same effect, but Fenn's tongue retreated and he added a third finger. " _Behave_ ," he growled, his tone hungry and possessive. 

A shudder went through him - or was it a sob? - and he both hated and loved that he had agreed to this. Kallus nodded, and tried to still his body, desperate now for the reward. "Yes, Sir," he gasped out, and then bit his lip. Fenn had said he earlier today, before they'd arrived, that he wasn't to beg - had he done too much of it? Missed something in the haze of pleasure to prevent anything further from slipping out, Kallus buried his face in the pillow.

The fingers inside him stroked over his prostate and he sobbed again. He had little control left now: Fenn had methodically stripped it away from him. Those digits pressed up and rubbed. Kallus almost bit through his bottom lip trying not to beg. Fenn had promised him that he would get to cum tonight when they had worked this out, but if Kallus disappointed him, or had missed an order to be quiet that Fenn had given him, he might not get to finish again. His entire body was focused on it now, on finishing for his lover, on pleasing him enough to gain his own release.

Chasing his orgasm was the only thing that mattered, and pleasing his lover was the only way to get it; therefore, pleasing his lover was the only thing that mattered.

He couldn't resist forever though. Fenn released his wrists and reached beneath him to stroke Kallus's cock, and another choked off sob escaped him. The pre-cum that he'd been producing for what felt like hours longer than he was sure it had been eased the stroke of his lover's hand over the aching, sensitive flesh. " _Sir! Darling, please!_ " he begged, in a voice that was so heavy with tears and want that it definitely didn't sound like his own.

"What a good boy I have, asking so politely. Cum for me, dear heart," Fenn ordered, and released the cock ring. It fell to the bed beneath him - or it must have. Kallus wasn't really aware of much after that, besides:

  1. He'd called Fenn "darling" and that had gotten him what he wanted.
  2. It was the most intense orgasm he could ever remember having.
  3. Fenn praised him throughout the entire thing.
  4. He couldn't remember when he'd started calling Fenn "darling."
  5. Kallus definitely either fell asleep or passed out almost immediately after Fenn got him to roll over onto a dry spot.



When he woke up Fenn was still asleep. He had pressed his torso flat against Kallus's side, and rested his head on the younger man's bare chest. Strong arms and legs were wrapped around him. Kallus was on the side of the bunk against the wall, with no way to escape unless he woke his lover to get passed him. It was a strategically smart place to put him, and it had become "his" side of the bed over the last few weeks. He sighed. Mentally, he wasn't sure how he felt, and physically he was sore. Fenn would want to be in a position where he could check on Kallus as soon as his lover woke. 

Of course, Kallus didn't want to talk about his mental or physical well-being, but that had been part of the agreement they'd come to when he'd left the refresher and the two of them had sat down to discuss the terms for tonight. Kallus had asked for intense, had needed the distraction it afforded him. Fenn had delivered, and now Kallus wasn't sure how to handle himself emotionally afterward.

But he needed to use the refresher, could handle that, and this heavy lump of a man practically lying on top of him and looking so peaceful and content was making that difficult.

Why was he so fond of Fenn to the point that he was loathe to move him? Kallus watched him sleep. This Mandalorian war hero, with his kind blue eyes, who was so good with irritating teenagers and discipline-deprived ex-ISB agents, who had some kind of surprising talent for being charming and ballroom dance (but only some of them: a few dances made Fenn look like he had two left feet and maybe one of them was a stump attached to a backward knee), a childish love of jet packs and weaponry, who acted like an uncle to Sabine and Ezra, happened to be one of the best pilots in the galaxy _and_ a fellow traitor to the Empire, now a fellow rebel, this man, this man named Fenn Rau: how had he gotten through all of Kallus's defenses and ended up here when they'd known each other for five weeks now? How had he ended up in Kallus's bed, frequently inside him, hearing his secrets, providing for his sexual and some of his emotional needs? How the hell had he gotten Kallus to lower his guard and ended up right here?

Zeb, the bastard, he'd gotten through Kallus's defenses too and ended up in his bed, though not like this. Their relationship had plenty of flirting, cuddling, and touching but none of it had gotten very sexual. The two of them had never managed to go far beyond kissing. His feelings toward Zeb certainly didn’t have nearly the level of intensity that Kallus felt for Fenn.

Maybe it was their shared experience as former Imperials, then reluctant rebel guests, and then rebels. Perhaps it was chemical compatibility. It could very well be something that Kallus wasn't at all willing to let himself see yet. Asking questions and chasing answers had gotten him into a lot of trouble the last time. Wasn't it perfectly understandable that he'd be nervous to do it again?

He knew what the others might say. Kallus knew very damn well what Zeb would say.

Kallus shifted slightly on the bed and moved his left hand to brush a strand of hair - still brown and gray - out of Fenn's face. He missed the ginger hair, with the odd strand of gray barely visible, and the bright blue eyes. The beard was something Kallus was personally torn on. Fenn seemed to have taken to not shaving, which Kallus could appreciate, and it certainly looked good on him. That said, he really liked being able to kiss along Fenn's jawline.

The beard looked really good though.

Fenn opened his eyes. "You're awake," he might have said. The older man didn't lift his mouth from Kallus's chest at all.

"May I please get up?"

Right. The stubbornness of Mandalorians. Sometimes, it was as though Fenn were a bunch of loth-cats disguised as one human. A sulking expression was the response he got, as though his lover - older than him, more experienced, _allegedly more mature_ \- could not imagine a single reason why either of them should need to do that. Ever. Kallus raised an eyebrow at him, and all he received for his trouble was Fenn more firmly wrapping himself around him.

A smile was threatening to appear on his face that he forced down, even though Fenn looked close to cracking one himself. They stared each other down for a long moment, uncompromising.

Kallus broke first, barely, the corner of one lip lifting up, just before he smoothly rolled them both over and slipped out of bed, uncaring that it meant the blankets got knocked to the floor and Fenn had to be cold for a moment. "That's cheating," Fenn accused with a laugh as Kallus slipped into the refresher to relieve himself. 

When he came back to bed a couple minutes later, Fenn had changed the sheets and added a couple more pillows and a thicker blanket to the wide bunk. It looked much more inviting. The lights were significantly dimmed but not off, and their quarters looked warm and safe. Kallus climbed over his lover to curl back up on his side of the bunk, uncaring about his own aches and pains.

Like Fenn would let them go. "Do you hurt anywhere, dear heart?" he asked, and started poking and prodding.

"My shoulders." It was easier to give in right now. Fenn had already explained earlier that he enjoyed taking care of Kallus, and to please, just let him do it. A jar of bacta salve was retrieved from the cabinet behind Fenn's head. Kallus rolled onto his stomach, and let Fenn do as he pleased. Satisfaction rolled off his lover as he massaged away any aches and pains and carefully drew Kallus into a conversation about what had worked and what had not. This 'aftercare' thing wasn't what he had expected at all, though Kallus had to accept that he didn't know what he had expected to begin with.

Discussing his uncertainty about begging for his release this time got him a concerned frown, and a myriad of apologetic kisses from Fenn. "I will it make it more clear to you next time," he said, eyes still somber, fingers now massaging over his scalp. Kallus wasn't sure what to think about this either, except that maybe it made him feel safe. "Unless I explicitly order you to not beg or to speak, or we agree to it beforehand that you cannot, you are free to ask me for whatever you wish, dear heart. I will not be angry at you for using your voice to tell me you're distressed."

"Thank you," Kallus responded, and kissed Fenn again. What else was there to say to that? What could he say to that? He ran his thumb over Fenn's beard, along the gray streaks that Sabine had added in, wondering what Fenn would look like when his hair started to go that way on its own.

"No thanks are needed," Fenn murmured, holding him close, fingers ghosting over his side. "I told you when we discussed this, I would take care of you. When we do something like that, it's meant to be whatever you need, not something that frightens you, or makes you feel like you can't tell me something is wrong."

Kallus exhaled shakily against Fenn's lips, and pressed his body closer. "I'm still not used to anyone wanting to know if something is wrong," he breathed, trembling a little. Admitting it aloud felt like he was sharing some long-held terrible secret no one else in the galaxy was ever meant to know. It was stupid, he knew it, but it was how he felt. "I don't know if I ever will be."

Fenn's hand came to a halt on his hip, and he tilted his head to kiss Kallus's forehead. "I know, dear heart," he empathized. A haunted quality was in his voice that Kallus hadn't heard from him before, something under the sincerity and affection that chilled him enough to freeze his trembling, made him want to pull his lover physically to him until there was nothing separating the atoms that made them up. He couldn't do that, so he slid his hands down to Fenn's back, and held him instead as the older man continued to speak. 

"We all have things we don't think we'll get used to, but you and I have each other, and we have a family, Kent. _We are family, dear heart_. We have a list of reasons to fight, to live, to keep going, and to tell each other if something is wrong. I don't need to know if it requires a security clearance above mine, or you stub your toe, or Chopper tried to trip you, but if something is bothering you deeply enough that you feel unsettled, or if it concerns our relationship, or something is wrong in our family and it upsets you," Fenn paused, took a shaky breath. 

Kallus pulled his head back slightly. Some instinct told him to look Fenn in the eye, to see the look on his face. The Mandalorian looked more serious than he'd ever seen when only the two of them in the room before, but there was something like affection there - some deeper emotion Kallus wasn't capable of identifying because he had never seen it directed at him before - and concern in spades.

"Promise me you'll tell me," he continued, eyes boring into Kallus's with a level of sincerity that stole his breath from his lungs. "I won't force you to talk about it in depth if you're not ready unless it's a life or death situation. Just tell me what's bothering you, and tell me if and how I can help you until you're ready to talk. I really do want to know. "

He must have looked shocked. The conversation echoed the one he'd had with Zeb earlier on the GX-1, after Fenn had gotten him to the edge of an orgasm on the bridge and left him to get used to the plug. "I - " Kallus blinked, and wet his lips with his tongue. "I will," he promised, when his brain had finished processed Fenn's words. Then, when his heart had caught up to his brain a moment later, his face softened, and Kallus leaned in to brush his lips over Fenn's. "I'll tell you," he reiterated, touched, heart aching and stomach fluttering with something he couldn't identify. "But you must do the same, Fenn. However often I'm willing to agree to a power imbalance in regards to our sex life - "

"You're not willing to agree to it in the rest of our relationship." Fenn chuckled, leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "You'd hardly be the same man that initially attracted me if you were. Of course I will tell you, but don't be surprised to find that I'm not easily bothered, save by what bothers those I care for."

Kallus sighed contentedly. "Fair enough."

Fenn made a noise that he took to be agreement, and let himself be bullied into a more comfortable position for sleeping. This time he wrapped himself around Fenn, perfectly content to make his lover into a pillow. For now, nothing else existed, and he had no worries to discuss with Fenn until morning.  
\---

The annoying thing about the ship they were temporarily stationed on was that it served no alcohol. The fantastic thing about the ship they temporarily stationed on was that the _Ghost_ had been brought aboard, and Zeb and Kallus kept a small liquor cabinet well stocked in their room. Fenn and Kallus had parted ways for a few hours for sanity's sake, and Kallus thought a drink sounded fantastic. As long as he kept it to a couple drinks and didn't smell of it when wandering the corridors, he'd be fine. All of them were guaranteed downtime for at least another cycle, barring an attack on the Fleet.

Her ramp was down, and nobody was on board. Excellent. Kallus grabbed a tumbler from the galley, and headed to his and Zeb's room. The last time they'd been sent into a town for supplies the pair of them had managed to procure a couple of good Corellian whiskeys he was quite fond of that Zeb wouldn't even touch. Vents were checked for nosy teenagers, and then Kallus opened the cupboard and quickly punched in the combination of numbers that would open the second one inside it. The bottle he wanted was easy enough to retrieve, and he made himself comfortable with it on Zeb's bunk.

Experiences like on Yavin IV when he'd had to instruct the three young adults in their roles for the mission, on Denon when it had been necessary to play the role of father to Sabine and Wedge, on the GX-1 when Sabine had sought out him and Fenn to discuss what she clearly considered a difficult topic all made Kallus wonder what his life would have been like if he hadn't lost the opportunity to be a father by devoting his life to the Empire. How different would things have been if he had followed family tradition, married well, and gone into politics? 

What if he didn't have too much blood on his hands and guilt in his heart to raise a brood of little ones? Not like his parents had brought him up with nannies and tutors to enforce a strict set of rules - no, not like that - but to raise them well, to be an involved father who knew his all of his little ones' interests and friends, likes and dislikes. His father had, but only because Kallus's nannies briefed him once a week or before an event both of them had to attend. What he enjoyed only mattered when his father had to appear to care about him.

Kallus wanted to know his non-existent children's interests because he spoke with them. Because he listened to them in a way his parents never had listened to him. 

_Children shouldn't be raised by monsters like me._ A family to raise was something he would never, ever have. It hurt in a similar, yet more visceral way than not being able to check on Sabine and Wedge on Denon had, but he had to live with the choices he made in his youth. The thought caused pain in his chest like a stab wound to the heart, though it never felt that way for long. It lingered whenever his thoughts stayed too long on the topic of family, of what he'd given up to the ISB. Pain blossomed from the initial point, from that stabbing sensation, and radiated through his chest and arms like a dull ache. If he felt particularly melancholy, Kallus could feel it sink into the bones of his of hands, his fingers, or as a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

At the time he'd thought giving up the opportunity to have a family and instead protect the general public was a worthwhile trade. Mentoring cadets and occasionally filling in as an instructor at the ISB's own academy had satisfied his paternal instincts well enough. That was no longer a need being met, and it was a need he knew he did not dare try to properly satisfy here. Fenn was older than him by about a decade, nearing his fifties, and Kallus was hopeful the topic wouldn't come up between them. Conceivably, his lover was content enough with filling the role of an uncle to two very adventurous young adults.

_"We are family, dear heart."_

Kallus opened the bottle, and went ahead and poured two fingers of the liquid before recapping the it. Boots were tugged off, tossed aside, and he pulled his feet up onto the bunk. Hell, might as well steal Zeb's pillow while he was at it since it was closer than his own. It was turned vertically, and placed between Kallus's back and the cold of the inner bulkhead wall.

Family was tricky, and always had been for him. Being part of a family implied that you had a steady place in one, knew where you stood with its members, and he hadn't quite had that since he was ten and had been sent to boarding school with little warning. Before then, he'd known his place in his own, and had clear, well-defined relationships with the other members of his family. To Mother and Father he was their son and their societal obligation. To his grandparents, he was invisible, something only to be trotted out at the most special of occasions like some sort of expensive heirloom. If they were visiting, he stayed in his room with his nannies so the adults could talk. To his cousins, Kallus had been a playmate only until he hit his junior academy year. Then, to the others of the same or similar age that joined him in the academy, he was an obstacle, competition. After graduation, he was a status symbol, a connection to be flaunted.

He did no favors for any of them.

In the Empire, he had no family, only a series of vague relationships based on power dynamics that changed frequently as he and others rose through the ranks. The Imperial military and COMPNOR stood on ceremony and tradition, however, and Kallus had always know where he stood, and with whom, until Thrawn had shown up and figured him out.

Here, in the rebellion, and with the _Ghost's_ crew, things were way more complicated. It was like standing on constantly shifting foundations, or as though his footing with them was made only of highly active fault lines. His place was forever changing with each of them, and within the group as a whole. Usually everything would be fine, and then he would misspeak or commit some mysterious crime - no one would tell him what he said or did when asked, of course not - and he would be considered the lowest of the low for days. Trying to apologize made those situations worse, he learned, so he held his tongue, did what was asked of him, and stayed completely out of sight otherwise. Kallus would eat at night when the others were asleep, and sit and ponder what the _kriffing hell_ he'd done.

He could never figure it out.

Those instances hurt almost exactly the same as thinking about having children of his own, though it never felt like being stabbed. It was just an empty sort of ache inside him until he was welcomed back into the fold.

No one would talk with him about any of those instances, even Zeb, who wanted so badly to know when Kallus was upset about anything. Even after their discussion yesterday this didn't seem safe to bring back up to him. "Anything" probably didn't mean "everything." Unlike with Fenn, Kallus didn't entirely know where he stood here. All of them had declared themselves to be his friends and family, but Kallus really wasn't certain he could call all of them that. 

Kallus wasn't sure they could be persuaded to even listen to his concerns about it. Now certainly wasn't the time, not with a major operation only days away. They were in the middle of a war, and - self-proclaimed family and friends or not - he had absolutely no right to ask anything of these people, save for Fenn. It was something that Kallus had promised himself when he'd been brought on board. He would not take anything not freely given or offered to him from this family he had hurt so much. That included food, a place to sleep, clothing, medicine, water, personal information: anything. 

Even as an agent, he had done his best to be a man of his word. The ISB had a reputation for it, as it was within the scope of his authority to make trades and deals if he needed to in order to do his job well and to do it right. Reneging on his word was a great way to get a lot of unnecessary resistance from naval and army officers.

This promise to himself was something he wouldn't go back on.

 _"We are family, dear heart."_ Fenn had been so damn _sincere_ when he'd said it. Thinking of that moment simultaneously filled Kallus's heart with warmth and fear. With Fenn, he knew exactly where he stood, at all times. There was never fear in his mind about seeking reassurance from him, and only once - just last night - had he been worried about asking for something. It had been discussed afterward, like everything else. They spoke about their relationship now as often as they had sex, with little hesitation to discuss issues. Kallus never guilty asking for anything from the man he'd taken as a lover. He was terrified of messing it up, of losing what they had, enough that he was also somewhat afraid of the lengths he'd go to in the name of holding on to it. They hadn't even been together a month. What was wrong with him?

_"We are family, dear heart."_

He ran a hand through his hair and took another sip of the liquor. There was a noise in the hallway, and he groaned. "It's just me," Ezra said, and poked his head into the room. "What are you doing? Are you drinking?"

Fantastic. Ezra was here, and giving him a somewhat judgmental look for his day drinking. So much for peace and quiet. "Yes."

"Oh." The kid, not quite an adult yet, looked as though he wasn't expecting the answer to be so straightforward. "You're drinking by yourself?"

Kallus raised an eyebrow at him then glanced around the room as though looking for other people until Ezra rolled his eyes. "Looks like I am. It's _usually_ enjoyable." _Come on, child, take a hint._

No hints were taken. Ezra only grew more curious. "What are you drinking? Can I try it?" 

"Corellian whiskey and no. Hera and Kanan would murder me if I gave you alcohol," Kallus pointed out. 

"Zeb and Fenn let me try theirs." Always pushing the boundaries, this one. Little Jabba - not so little anymore, though, was he? - had missed the point.

Kallus rolled his eyes at the kid and finished off the glass, pouring another two fingers. He'd come here to be alone with his thoughts, not to be disturbed by the youngest of the crew. "Do you use those big ears of yours for anything at all?" he teased gently. The ears were something Ezra wasn't sensitive about. Carefully containing his emotions (because Ezra was young, but he was a Jedi), Kallus patiently explained himself. "I'm not Zeb or Fenn, Ezra. I can't get away with the same things they do, least of all regarding you or Sabine. Ask Zeb for some later if you want to try it that badly."

Had the thought never occurred to him before? Ezra looked about as stunned as Kallus had felt last night during his post-coital conversation with Fenn. The look on his face would have been funny, if it wasn't something that had been bugging him enough that he came here to drink alone for a while. "I guess I never thought about it that way," Ezra mumbled apologetically at the floor. "Sorry. I'll leave you be."

The door slid shut behind the boy, and now Kallus felt like a complete ass again. If he was an expert at anything, it was saying the wrong thing. Being here alone suddenly felt a little bit wrong. He tossed back the rest of the tumbler, locked the whiskey back up, and quietly cleaned and dried the borrowed cup before putting it away.

There were other places he could go lose himself for a while, such as a room with a perfectly comfortable bunk, and plenty of pillows and blankets that smelled like his lover. Maybe Fenn had come back. Kallus exited the ship and headed back to his quarters, desperately hoping he wouldn't run into anybody else.

He needed some time to think where well meaning young people couldn't bother him.  
\---

Fenn had come back while he was lost in thought, but didn't disturb him much beyond giving him a kiss and going to shower. Kallus had already taken advantage of the time alone to shower, thoroughly brush his teeth, and run the clothes he'd been drinking in through the cleaner and add it to the pile that one of them would need to fold and put away later. There was no reason Fenn needed to know immediately about the alcohol stash or his encounter with Ezra unless it came up. He certainly wasn't ready to discuss it right this second.

Having time to sit and think wasn't doing him any good at all, was it? What he needed to do was work, and that wasn't going to happen for a while.

Kallus wondered if a nap might do him some good. He was already curled up on the bed, wearing only a loose shirt and black briefs. Sliding under the covers was easy enough. From the refresher echoed the sounds of Fenn moving around. Kallus stole his pillow and clutched it to his chest. Perfect. The pillowcase smelled like him. He breathed the scent in, and relaxed a little more. 

_"We are family, dear heart."_

By the time his lover came back into the room he was on the verge of sleep, content and relaxed. Kallus cracked opened his eyes because he didn't hear the soft brush of fabric that indicated a man wearing pants: indeed, Fenn was deliciously naked. Nothing wrong with looking his fill then. Though about five centimeters shorter, the older man was similarly built to Kallus, and well-muscled. He wasn't excessively hairy and didn't have nearly the number of freckles covering him that Kallus did (and he had yet to meet anyone that wasn't a blood relative who had so many either). Fenn moved through the room with a warrior's grace and confidence Kallus found arousing and reassuring. 

Fenn stopped by the side of the bed to look at him, and smiled. Kallus smiled back, and Fenn sat down on the edge of the bed. "Comfortable?" 

That warm voice made him yawn: the familiarity of it made him feel much more safe than his cocoon of blankets and pillows. "Perfectly so," he mumbled back.

Gentle fingers - fingers that had been so cruel in bringing him pleasure and then denying him release yesterday - brushed stray locks of hair from his face. "Planning to sleep long?"

Kallus shrugged. "Are you staying?" 

"I'll be in the room, yes," Fenn answered. He carded his fingers through Kallus's hair. "My report is due in two hours and I haven't finished it."

Sleepily, Kallus remembered he had to sign off on everyone's within about four hours. "Wake me when you're finished?" he requested. Maybe by then he'd be ready to at least verbalize what was bothering him. He could state the problem, get a generalized summary out of the way, before he had to deal with the post-mission reports and datawork.

Just because he was off-duty for at least 48 hours didn't mean Command didn't expect him to slap his signature onto everything.

Fenn bent down and kissed his cheek. "I will. Sleep, dear heart. I'll wake you in a while."

From there he drifted, and eventually fell into a good sleep. When he was woken an hour and a half later to get food, Kallus felt somewhat better. Motivating himself to leave the warm nest of blankets and pillows was difficult, but he managed. Fenn was already dressed, and Kallus wasn't far behind him. Being off duty meant the joy of comfortable civilian clothes again, though he was careful to choose something that didn't show off the plethora of marks Fenn kept leaving on him, given that they were sort of back at work. His subordinates didn't need to know any more about their relationship than they had already overheard via surveillance on Denon. Fenn wrapped a light scarf around his neck - something he'd purchased for Kallus on Denon on a whim when they'd taken the kids to go explore the markets - to help cover it up, handed Kallus his datapad so he could read over the finished reports through lunch, and they were on their way to the mess hall.

One thing he liked about the rebellion was that there weren't several mess halls separated by status. No officer's mess halls divided by rank with strictly set meal times to keep the nobility away from the peasants. They were heading down to eat after most of the on-duty personnel had left, so it was quieter now. Beings were scattered throughout the tables, but none Kallus immediately recognized. Food trays in hand, they settled down across from each other, and he picked up the datapad.

Silence between them was delightfully easy. Kallus had made it through most of the reports, only having to mark a couple for revision, when Bridger found them. He suppressed a groan, and took a long sip of his caf. Oddly though, the boy didn't really say much of anything. Fenn raised an eyebrow at him, and glanced at the boy sitting next to Kallus. The younger man gave him a minute shrug in response. There were two more reports left to read. He wasn't stopping now when he could be done with his task in ten minutes. 

The two of them let Ezra sit quietly, eating silently as Kallus read - occasionally muttering a curse under his breath as the last report was riddled with errors that would need correcting - and when he was done, he locked the datapad and turned to look at the boy. "You're awfully quiet this afternoon," he commented, watching him carefully for a response.

Ezra poked his food with his fork - some kind of noodle dish Kallus couldn't identify - and glanced toward him. "I was thinking. About what you said earlier."

Fenn raised an eyebrow at him from across the table, and Kallus forced himself to keep a straight face. Yes. That thing he'd said while he'd been drinking. The same drinking he had then proceeded to hide from Fenn, along with the rather melancholy thoughts he'd had with it.

That thing he'd not yet said a word about to his lover.

"What about it?" he asked, really hoping Ezra wasn't going to say something that he would have to spend time explaining to other adults. It was a conversation that needed to be had, but it was one Kallus wasn't prepared for yet.

"You're right. And it's unfair." The kid set his fork down, and folded his hands in his lap with an irritated huff. "I mean, you almost died for us, and even though you were such a jerk for so long, you turned your life around to make things right. Hera and Kanan shouldn't treat you like you're any different to Sabine and I than Zeb or Rau."

Did he have to look up at Kallus with those big blue eyes? Well, it was better than looking at his lover right now. From what he could see in his peripheral vision, the look on Fenn's face was somewhere between amused and mildly irritated. Kallus needed to end this conversation, and quickly, so he could explain to Fenn that Ezra had simply managed to corner him before they could discuss this.

He carefully rested a hand on Ezra's shoulder, and when no lightsaber appeared to remove said hand from his wrist, Kallus relaxed slightly. "Thank you, Ezra, for saying so. I appreciate it, but you must consider it from their point of view as well. You're very much like a son to them, and for years I tried quite hard to kill all of you. No one gets over that easily."

 _If ever,_ he added silently.

"It's stupid reason to get mad at you for giving me alcohol though. I'm almost an adult."

Ezra Bridger was sent by the Force to punish him for all the innocent beings in the galaxy he had wronged. There was no other explanation for this child's existence in his life for the last few years. "What's this about alcohol?" Fenn asked, finally joining the conversation.

"You didn't tell him?" Ezra asked Kallus, momentarily confused after he'd finished explained that morning's encounter to the increasingly displeased Mandalorian across the table.

It wasn't obvious? How was it not obvious? Trying to hold on to the shreds of his patience and avoid making a scene, Kallus tried to count to ten before speaking, got to six, and decided that was close enough. "I hadn't had the chance yet," he answered with a surprisingly calm tone. A quick glance at Fenn revealed that his lover disagreed on that front at least a little, but was willing to accept the explanation at face value in front of the padawan.

"But I thought adults told each other all this stuff."

Ezra was so innocent. So naïve. Kallus patted his shoulder. "I intend to talk to _Fenn_ about it, yes." The emphasis was absolutely necessary: it wouldn't do for Ezra to get it into his head that Kallus intended to talk to anybody else about this subject. "When he returned to the room earlier I was trying to work through my thoughts on a related topic, got frustrated with it, and decided to take a nap instead while I waited on the rest of these mission reports to come through so I could approve them or send them back for revisions."

"Oh."

"Not everything is discussed exactly when it should be," Fenn said, his tone softer now that Kallus had explained. "Relationships take constant work, Ezra, especially romantic ones."

"Is that what's going on with you two?" Ezra lowered his voice as a group of pilots passed them. Was the boy learning tact now? "You guys are both happy, right?"

They exchanged a glance - Kallus noted the approval on Fenn's face (apparently Ezra was learning tact) - and Kallus shrugged. They had already traumatized Sabine. Why not both kids? "Yes." Fenn said simply. 

Ezra sat and blinked at them. "So Sabine was right," he mumbled after a minute. He was quiet for all of fifteen seconds before asking, "How does that even work? You're both guys."

"Ezra," Kallus lowered his voice and leaned in a little closer, "I want you to think very carefully before you answer this question." The young man looked at Kallus warily. "How does _what_ even work?"

"The sex," Ezra responded bluntly after a couple seconds of calmly staring down the ex-ISB agent in front of him. Kallus tried not to feel too scandalized that the padawan was so unashamedly blunt about it. "I know the kissing isn't any different because you two kissed _all the time_ on Denon, but like, what changes? Something has to change. It can't be the same as with a girl, because the anatomy is different."

Kallus heard Fenn start laughing, found his shin with his foot, and calmly kicked at him. "Sorry," Fenn chuckled.

"You're not," Kallus accused, shooting him a glare. "Get it together, Fenn. I answered Sabine's questions. It's your turn this time."

Fenn grinned at him, and Kallus briefly wondered if he might regret this a little, but it was too late now. "Ezra, when you lie with a woman, you have five options for penetrative sex: you can take her orally, vaginally, anally, or she can put on a strap-on and take you orally or anally. With just men, only the oral and anal options exist."

Ezra's eyes couldn't possibly get any bigger. Or more hopeful? Was that hope? Oh hell. "That's what he - !" He stood up, and grabbed his tray. "Thanks, guys! Sorry, gotta run!"

What the krif had that been about? Kallus turned to look at Fenn, who looked just as confused. "Maybe we should go back into hiding for the day?" the younger man suggested warily. If Ezra was doing something stupid and if it got traced back to what Fenn had said, he wanted to at least be killed by Kanan someplace private.

"It would seem to be a good idea," Fenn agreed, standing and gathering their trays to dispose of. "As it is, I think we need to talk."

"We do, yes," Kallus said, standing as well and grabbing his datapad. Nerves made his stomach clench, but it would probably be fine.

After dumping their trays, they headed back to their quarters, fingers interlaced. It was an unusual display of affection on his part: Kallus hadn't held anyone's hand like this since he was in his mid-twenties. He'd been concerned that some might take issue with it given they were on a military vessel, but no one seemed to notice and no one bothered them. 

Fenn held the door for him, and guided him in with a hand on the small of his back. "Now," he began, locking them in. "Why were you drinking alone in the middle of the day?"

The datapad was put in its place and the scarf unwound from his neck before Kallus turned around. "It wasn't enough to warrant a discussion," he claimed. Kallus was careful to keep his hands at his sides and his overall posture open and as non-defensive as his tone. 

"Which is not at all what I asked, dear heart," Fenn pointed out just as calmly, still leaning against the door. "But very well. Let us pursue that first. How much of what?"

Hell. "Only four fingers of whiskey in all." 

It wasn't much at all, certainly not enough to get a man his size anywhere near to buzzed. Fenn nodded, then shrugged it off. He seemed aware enough of that. "Was it because of last night?" he asked. There was an almost shyness to the question, some kind of vulnerability. 

Kallus studied - really studied - the older man's face, his posture. Fenn hadn't moved from the door, hadn't approached him. This had been the first topic he'd wanted to discuss. As relaxed as he was trying to appear, he wasn't. The Mandalorian looked ready to spring through the door at a moment's notice. His stance was somewhat wide, and his knees were bent slightly: this was a warrior ready to move if he had to, _to put distance between them quickly if it was needed_. Those kissable lips were pressed together in a thin line, his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the younger man as intently as he was being looked over.

He was worried - genuinely worried - that something he'd said or done in that intense session had pushed Kallus to go off on his own, hide in his bunk and drink in solitude. Having concern directed at him was sweet, and still difficult to handle. Knowing that he had alarmed Fenn was disconcerting.

"No," Kallus firmly insisted, stalking immediately across the room to Fenn, and closing the distance in a few steps. _"We are family, dear heart."_ Those words wouldn't stop echoing in his mind.

"Kent, if I have - "

Kallus pushed him flat against the door to better kiss him good and hard until Fenn relaxed against him, then more gently until he felt arms wind around his neck and hold him there. " _You haven't_. Fuck's sake, Fenn. I gave you my word," Kallus reminded him as he pressed their foreheads together. "I needed to think and I've been dying to get a taste of that bottle since Zeb and I picked it up on Corellia a while back. It seemed like as good a time as any to indulge in a bit of both until Bridger interrupted me asking if he could try some of it."

Fenn chuckled softly, and drew Kallus into another kiss. "All right. Thank you for reassuring me. Last night was more intense than normal."

More kissing was always fine with him. Having Fenn against the door was nice too, because Kallus could take a moment from here to kiss over his ears and nip at the lobe. It felt strange to feel a beard against his own bare cheeks, even after all this time to adjust. "It was, but you gave me exactly what I needed, darling. You did very well."

A nearly imperceptible shiver was the response Kallus got to the praise - and wasn't that interesting? - but Fenn wasn't going to let him divert this from a conversation into sex. A hand in his hair gently pulled Kallus's mouth away from Fenn's neck. "Dear heart, while I appreciate the praise and the show of gratitude, did we not agree that we needed to talk?"

His best pout couldn't save him: Kallus tried it, and failed. "Oh, come now. Talking to me can't be that awful. Do you want to talk about what's actually bothering you?" Fenn smiled at him, one of those charming ones he'd used often on Denon that were hard to resist, and Kallus found himself wavering.

Ezra had already outed part of it to Fenn, and it was beginning to weigh on him. Still, he hesitated for a moment before decisively leading Fenn to the bed so they could sit together. Kallus gripped his lover's hands gently in his own, needing that life-line, the reassurance, as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "Some of it, perhaps. You heard part of it already. I'm not sure how close I am to being able to vocalize the rest of it, save that it's quasi-related. Perhaps it's something best buried and left to die."

That painful sensation was back, as though he'd been stabbed in the heart again. A dull ache spread through his chest and arms, and now he felt it deep. Was it this damn mission that had passed and what was coming up that had dredged these well-buried thoughts from their resting place for him to foolishly mull over until they drove him to the brink of emotional disaster?

"You've been ruminating over family," Fenn realized. Kallus tensed, afraid the other man might continue before he could prepare himself for hearing those other words, but Fenn stilled, and he relaxed. 

Exhaling slowly, the younger man nodded. There was silence between them again. How Fenn Rau had developed a seemingly infinite well of patience was beyond him. "I've been considering the subject off and on since Zeb and I crashed on Bahryn, but lately I've had to face my issues with it."

On Fenn's face were written echoes of the many things he wanted to say. 

_"We are family, dear heart."_

"Family is important to me," Fenn said, "and you are my family. I told you last night, Kent, I won't force you to talk before you're ready unless it's life or death. All I want is to know what's wrong, and if I can do anything at all to help until that time comes."

It was inconvenient to realize there was a lot he wanted to say, and didn't know how to parse through it all to get it out in any kind of organized way. Kallus settled for kissing Fenn's cheek, and squeezing his hands. "You are far too good to me. For me," he said instead. "I've never had an example of a loving family, loving parents, a loving relationship. I think I can say that much with confidence right now. Holovids, and stories from other officers are the closest I've had."

Fenn shook his head. "You underestimate your value, dear heart." The older man pulled him close. "Do you mind me asking what your parents were like?"

Kallus pressed against him. "My aunt - my mother's younger sister - once told me they adored me and doted on me constantly until my father's father passed away when I was four. Father inherited Grandfather's political office at that time." It felt more like he was telling a story about some distant world than something that had actually happened. Grandfather had passed away thirty-three years ago, and Kallus didn't even remember the man, only the coldness of the widow he'd left behind. "He was always at work after that, and when he came home, he either wanted to sleep, or he wanted to spend time with Mother."

"That must have been jarring for such a small child," Fenn murmured.

"I barely remember the change. I was so young," Kallus replied, "though I'm sure it must have been confusing. Over time, we grew apart. At some point I started resenting him more than he resented me. Mother still enjoyed having me around: my schooling was done entirely with private tutors for years so she didn't have to send me to school. I often traveled with her wherever she was recording as a young child so she could keep me close to her. Mother loved playing with me, reading to me before bed, but I don't know if it was out of a true love of me. More likely, I think she was in love with the idea of Motherhood." 

Fenn had managed to lie them back against the pillows without Kallus noticing, and he rested his head on the man's chest, curled his fingers in his tunic. "Father resented it, of course. If we were on Coruscant and he was home I was kept away from her, no matter how much I cried. She let him send me to boarding school on the other side of the planet when I turned ten. No warning. No time to adjust to the idea. They told me the night before and I left the next morning. Servants packed my things and Father didn't even come to tell me goodbye."

The arms around him tightened, but Fenn didn't say anything, didn't offer any platitudes or niceties. A kiss to the top of his head was the sole act of comfort given, but it was enough to prompt the younger man on. He stared at the fabric of Fenn's dark tunic, the pale skin of his hands and the dark, tiny freckles covering it. They almost looked like they could be a fabric pattern of their own.

"My parents wouldn't tell me what I had done wrong, or that I hadn't done anything wrong." That damnable pain again - that stupid, dull ache - was back. He curled himself a little smaller against his lover's side. "If I asked while home on holidays I was sent to my room and ignored. Asking too often got me sent back to school early. I applied to a junior academy when I was fifteen and got perfect grades so I could get into Royal Imperial and not have to go back home. My instructors always told me when I made a mistake and what it was I had done. I found it grounding." Kallus took a deep breath, realizing that he had been getting quite a bit passionate in his speech when it came to why he had joined in the first place. It was necessary to relax. He forced himself to unclench his fists, to uncurl a little. "Then I realized I had the chance to actually help people on the front lines, instead of through bitching uselessly at people in the Senate."

Fenn let him fall silent, and gave him time. He ran a hand through Kallus's dyed hair, playing with the thick locks as he waited. "In a group, _in a family_ , I need to know where I stand. I had that in the Empire. I have that with you."

"You don't feel like you have that with the others," Fenn concluded.

"I don't have that with the others, darling, not all the time," Kallus asserted. Comfortable though he was, he shifted his head to look up at Fenn. His voice was somber. "Things will be fine for a while, and then I will say something, or do something - I don't know, because none of them will tell me - and things go wrong. I go from accepted family member right back to Imperial scum. Asking and apologizing make it worse, and my only recourse into their good graces it to be as invisible as possible and do as I'm told."

Fenn was silent, staring at the ceiling. Kallus watched him, doggedly keeping his face neutral though it felt like his heart was clenching in his chest. What would he say to that? Last night, it had been, _"We are family, dear heart."_ The crew of the _Ghost_ were Fenn's family too, however, more than they were Kallus's, and likely far more important to him than Kallus was. Reflexively, his hand clenched a little in Fenn's shirt. If his lover blew his concerns off, Kallus didn't know how he would react, or what he would do. He had never spoken so honestly with someone he'd bedded before, and it had been over a decade since his last attempt at a serious relationship. If he ruined this - 

"What do you need, dear heart of mine?" Fenn finally spoke. Kallus couldn't quite read his expression, but tone of that endearment - something beyond affection was there.

"I don't have any good answers to that, darling," he confessed quietly, watching those brown eyes carefully (and oh, how desperately did he miss the blue) as Fenn rolled onto his side and propped his head up to look at Kallus, lying on his back now. "I want to bide my time, because I've no idea when or if we're going to get the call to go rescue those slaves and it's not a conversation I want to leave off in the middle of, especially if it leaves them angry with me." A soft sigh escaped him. "But I want it done with. I'm tired of wondering if the next wrong thing I say or do is going to be the final wrong thing."

Fenn ran his fingers through Kallus's hair again. "That is tricky. May I ask for a clarification?" Kallus nodded, closing his eyes to better focus on the pleasurable sensation. "Have you asked all of them?"

"Yes," he responded. "Even the droids. This seems to happen only in group settings. Questions I ask, mostly. I'm not nearly comfortable enough to attempt to joke with all of them in one place."

When he opened his eyes, his lover was frowning. "Even Zeb?"

"Even Zeb."

Fenn shook his head. "I'd talk to him after you've got a glass or two of alcohol in him. He's quite fond of you - and very protective. Told me if I hurt you he'd beat me to death with my own arms." 

Kallus rolled his eyes. "Brute. Zeb has no right to speak to you that way."

"It didn't stop him. I know you two are close: I was shocked to find out you weren't his mate," Fenn confessed.

According to the gossip Kallus had picked up, Fenn hadn't been the only one. Kallus had told him most things about his history in Imperial service, so it shouldn't surprise him to learn why Kallus and Zeb had never gone beyond kissing."Many were. We messed around a little before when we were dead drunk but never got terribly far. PTSD is a hell of a drug and it set me off every time because we could never make it to a bunk. Always a bulkhead wall or a dirty alley. We never did try anything while sober, though I suspect he likes the smell of our sex."

Fenn raised both his eyebrows. "I thought the smell bothered him."

"It's evidently weird to associate my scent with sex, but it definitely doesn't smell bad to him. He told me he can tell by his nose if we've finished." Kallus turned his head to kiss Fenn's palm as his hand slid from Kallus's hair to rest on his cheek.

Fenn took a moment to process that information, and shrugged. "All the same, I'd try talking to him about it, especially now that Bridger is more on your side. When that boy gets it into his head that someone is being treated unfairly he won't stop until the injustice has been corrected." Fenn smiled at him. "He probably won't leave you alone until you've handled it and he believes you'll be treated fairly."

Kallus must have looked scandalized, because his lover laughed, and closed the distance between them to kiss the look off his face. "Relax. Of all the problems to have right now, Ezra making sure you're treated fairly isn't that awful."

"I suppose not," he muttered, because Fenn was right, but he also really didn't want Ezra meddling in his affairs. "You're right, darling. Thank you." Kallus gave him a smile, and tugged him in for another kiss, which was enthusiastically returned.

"You're perfectly welcome, dear heart," Fenn breathed against his lips, shifting so his body was covering Kallus's. "What was the most important thing I told you last night? Do you remember?"

Kallus shivered, reached for Fenn's hands so he could lace their fingers together. "You said, 'We are family.'"

Fenn rewarded him with a nip to his lower lip. "That's right, Kent. Who do you think I meant by 'we,' dear heart?"

"You and me," he murmured. "You meant us, Fenn."

Another kiss. "I did. Am I moving too fast?"

Kallus shook his head, stole another kiss. "I can't put a name to half the emotions I'm feeling at given moment, but this is working for me."

"Oh, good," Fenn commented, and kissed him passionately. "It's working for me too."  
\---

They didn't even bother taking their clothes completely off that time. Simultaneous oral was a new experience for Kallus, but one he would be more than happy to try over and over as opportunities arose. Just as he'd finished tucking in his shirt and licked a stray drop of cum from the corner of Fenn's mouth (and oh, how he delighted in the renewed hunger that tiny act brought to his lover's eyes), the door chime sounded. Both of them groaned, but turned to make sure the other and the bed were decent before Kallus stepped forward to answer the door.

A young Ensign stood at attention on the other side with a datapad. Kallus took it, activated it, and frowned at the information on the screen: it was the initial report of Vanto's interrogation. He thanked and dismissed her, shut the door again, and headed back to the bed to read it over.

"What is it?" Fenn asked.

"It's the initial report of Vanto's last two days of interrogation," he said, already done with the first page by the time he sat down. It was a short report, and it took him little time to reach the bottom. "He's a consistent fellow: there are no discrepancies with the information gleaned from my interrogation so far. We may be given the green light to proceed if he remains this consistent through the next three steps."

Which meant by tomorrow evening or the day after he and Hera would be called into strategy meetings. Kallus checked the datapad for other orders and files and found nothing, so he sat it aside. This was moving along very quickly. That was good. People were waiting to be rescued. People needed to be rescued. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking, and was slightly startled when his lover spoke. "You seem upset about it moving forward."

"That makes me sound like an even more terrible person than I actual am," Kallus complained in an exasperated tone, looking over at him. "Really, darling."

Fenn raised an eyebrow at him, and stepped forward from the refresher doorway. He had been leaning against the doorframe, watching his lover read. "I'd hardly say you're a terrible person. You’ve left that life behind, dear heart. I simply can't help but wonder why you look upset about saving these people when you were so determined to see it through before?"

 _Monsters are still monsters after they retire from terrorizing children in their closets and under their beds._ "I'm not upset about saving them. Not at all. They need our help and I'm happy to provide it. It's something unrelated."

It was likely one of the least convincing lies he'd ever told. In a holodrama his mother had starred in shortly before he was born, the male lead playing opposite her had lied to his other lover about his role in his mother's character's pregnancy, saying that he had accidentally slept with her. The line had been delivered so unconvincingly that when he'd seen it as a seven-year-old boy he'd scoffed at it. This lie was probably on par with that lie. Fenn certainly wasn't falling for it, if the look of incredulity he was given Kallus was any sort of indicator.

"Suppose we pretend you did not just lie to me, Kent, and I let you try that again," Fenn suggested. His tone was frosty enough that Kallus wasn't going to offer any other alternatives. The disappointment in his lover's eyes stung: Kallus wouldn't try to lie again.

Now he was feeling guilty and nervous on top of his ambivalence to discuss the issue."It's somewhat related - and related to earlier - and my hesitation to discuss it has nothing to do with you, or who they are."

Fenn pressed his lips together. "How long has this particular subject been bothering you?"

Kallus glanced away, considering how safe it was to give that answer. Should he come right out with all of it? Rip off the bacta patch, so to speak? Talking to Fenn was easy, but if his lover got it into his head after this conversation that he wanted the opposite of what Kallus did then this relationship would likely have to stop. 

But right now, they weren't having the full conversation. It was one question. Kallus could easily put a halt to the discussion at any time if he felt like he needed to.

A hand was on the back of his neck, warm and encouraging, as Fenn sat next to him. "Since Denon," Kallus confessed, looking down at his hands. "That first party we attended."

"The one where you were sick most of the night after we came home?" Fenn asked with a frown. "I did wonder what made you ill that night. You were obviously lying but that look you gave me - I couldn't bring myself to pry." His thumb stroked over the back of his neck, commanding and soothing.

Exhaling rather shakily, he answered. "That blasted group of housewives and househusbands cornered me for a while to discuss the kids at the party. Having to act proud of them for wanting to serve the Empire and then listening to those vultures discussing if I thought you'd be willing to arrange marriages for them with their own children made me feel sick. By the time we got back I had half a mind to make Wedge and Sabine - "

No. No, he wasn't going to discuss that part. His paternal instincts weren't up for discussion because they were not something he was likely ever going to be able to act on or attempt to satisfy. Kallus clammed up and scolded himself firmly for the lapse of discipline as he regained his composure. "I couldn't listen to them discussing the rest of their children's lives like their futures were something to be auctioned off to the most loyal, the most moneyed, the wealthiest young person," he finished quietly.

Fenn was giving him an odd look. "You couldn't stand them discussing Sabine and Wedge like that. It's understandable, Kent. I hated all those conversations as well." His tone was hushed, and the hand slid from his neck to rub circles over his back. "What did you have 'half a mind to make' them do, dear heart?"

"Fenn," he started to protest, but a finger over his lips stopped him. Kallus huffed slightly, indignant. 

"I think you need to talk about this," his lover explained, using that same hushed tone. The hand dropped to hold one of his. "It's been eating at you for a while. You have excellent self-control, dear heart, and you very nearly lost it discussing this. Suggesting the topic is a problem for you riles you up. You lied to me to try to avoid it instead of telling me to drop it. Get it out before it becomes more of an issue. What will you do if it compromises the mission?"

" _It won't_ ," Kallus gritted his teeth, pissed at the suggestion he would allow it to.

Fenn didn't back down. Something in his demeanor shifted, reminding Kallus how many years of experience he had on the younger man as a commander. "You know how many children are allegedly involved in this. How many potential families. Can you guarantee that? Can you really, absolutely guarantee it won't compromise the mission before you have a chance to discuss it or work through it with someone?"

Logic. The enemy of any emotion. He raised his other hand in surrender. "All right, all right. I yield. Darling, please."

Dark eyes studied him for a moment, and then Fenn nodded. "Talk."

"I'd considered having them sleep on the floor in our room. I didn't, of course, because it was a stupid idea with no foundation in reality. Kanan always checks on them before he goes to bed, so I waited up for him to check on them to make sure they hadn't been snatched by those atrocious old birds, or something else ridiculously stupid, and then I came to bed." It had to be the stupidest kriffing thing he had ever said aloud. All of the kids were adults - or right on the cusp of adulthood, in Ezra's case - and there was no need to check on them like they were the young teenagers he had first encountered.

But these people were literally all he had left in the galaxy, and they had been in a dangerous situation under his leadership.

"You could have checked on them," Fenn suggested. Then thought about it. Kallus waited for him to figure it out. "But you wouldn't, because everyone would have thought it was weird once we had them down for the night."

"From everyone in the suite, to our own surveillance, to anyone watching us," he confirmed, "it would have been weird. Once they were in bed it was my duty to tend to you, as I'm sure you recall. My body belonged to you as soon as they were in bed for the night - feeling sick or not - and I had to provoke you into doing your duty to punish me for coming to bed late and to do your duty as my husband.4 Our own people would have found it weird because it's me, and I felt like checking on them would have risked Kanan and Hera's wrath. My mental comfort wasn't worth any of it."

It took Fenn a moment to relax. He was probably remembering that night. Both of them had been tense, and goading him into it had not been fun. Neither had slept well, and surveillance had requested permission to cut the feed to their room, which he had given. Fenn kissed his temple. "I understand that now, thank you. What does this have to do with the rescue mission?"

Kallus didn't bother suppressing his groan. "Fenn."

"No."

"Please."

The older man nipped at his ear. "Shall I repeat my reasoning or badger you until you snap and answer me?" 

"You're really pissing me off," Kallus mumbled, jerking his head away from Fenn's mouth.

"And yet I intend to keep striving to do what is best for you and the mission," the Mandalorian stubbornly replied. "There are hundreds of lives at stake, Kent. Many of them children. One of those lives is likely to be yours, and I happen to greatly care about what happens to that one in particular." Fenn brought Kallus's right hand to his lips and kissed the ring he still wore. They both still wore those rings, Kallus realized. He hadn't taken his off since the start of the mission and wasn't feeling any inclination to do so, despite the level of irritation to which Fenn was pushing him.

Kallus gave him a dirty look for good measure before he conceded and answered. It was important that Fenn knew he was doing so reluctantly, and because the Mandalorian was downright vexing when he wanted to be. "You're not allowed to get mad or contradict me over it," he warned him, but all he got was an eyebrow raise. 

Nerves clenched his stomach. _I defied Grand Admiral Thrawn for months. Before that, even the admiralty feared a visit from me. I'm a grown man, I can handle discussing my thought and feelings with my lover._ Except that he was shaking a little. Being fully trained for one-on-one combat, riots, ground and air assault, dogfights, hostage negotiation, criminal profiling, interrogation, and every conceivable combat situation was a lot different from discussing one's fears and long-lost opportunities with a new partner.

Kallus pulled away from Fenn so he could move around their quarters while he talked: somehow it was easier if the older male couldn't feel him trembling. It was easier if he could cross his arms defensively over his chest. "I hadn't realized until we were preparing for Denon, until we were _on Denon_ , exactly what I had given up in joining ISB." That wasn't quite true though, was it? "I suppose it has crossed my mind off and on over the years when there's been a group of cadets I've been close with or a younger agent I was assigned to train that I felt somewhat paternal towards but that was always enough to satisfy any sort of deeper paternal instinct while I was with the Empire."

The wall opposite the bunk felt like a safer place to lean for a moment. Distance was what he needed for this, and Fenn was letting him have it. "ISB agents are highly discouraged from having families. Anything that could come between an agent and their devotion to serving the Empire is frowned upon because it's up to the ISB to monitor everybody else. Only members who had spouses and children prior to the founding of the Empire have them, or they are Armed Forces officers who were transferred over."

Kallus was neither of those things. He'd dated, of course, like most younger officers did. Young people were expected to have their share off flings early on, get them out of their systems before their careers took off, and then devote themselves to moving up the ranks.

"That's why this mission has me on edge. I've had two days off with nothing to do to keep from thinking." He pushed away from the door, pacing again. Sitting around and thinking weren't what he was used to doing. The Empire had certainly never allowed time for that.5 Even on long hyperspace jumps when he was alone there was plenty of work to keep him occupied. "I didn't have time to dwell on it much on Denon. I didn't have time to think about it en route if I didn't want to. But now we're on a mandatory rest period and I've nothing to do until they've finished interrogating Vanto and my thoughts keep going back to it."

The stress and confusion must have come through in his voice6 because Fenn was in front of him in an instant with hands on his shoulders. "Breathe, dear heart."

Kallus took a deep breathe, and let it out. "Better?" Fenn asked. It was. He nodded.

"Are you regretting what you gave up, mourning the time you lost, or having some kind of mid-life crisis?"

"Yes." Kallus said, because it was probably all of them. He frowned, and reconsidered. "No." This time, he twisted away again, because the fear that the truth was too much for them both was weighing on him. Fenn sighed quietly, but watched him take a few steps away and run a hand through his hair. "Regretting, definitely, but I've come to terms with that. I've been mourning what I can't have."

Behind him he couldn't even hear breathing, and that's what prompted him to turn around. To say his lover looked surprised wouldn't be quite right. "Flummoxed" was probably a better word. It was probably better if he kept talking, and didn't give Fenn a chance to process the fact that Kallus had kind of admitted aloud that he sort of wanted a family, that he was aware it was out of the question for himself, because then Fenn couldn't ask why. 

If he didn't let Fenn ask why, it would save them another conversation that was frightening to think about right now. Kallus plowed ahead. "There are a lot of things I've had to give up, and I knew that when I became Fulcrum everything would change. I knew. I didn't think I'd survive being caught, so I didn't think I'd have to plan to adjust to everything being so different. I'm mourning a lot of things I've had to part with, and that's fine. It's just taking time."

Kallus pulled himself to his full height, and looked Fenn in the eye. "It's fine." Damn. He was out of things to say. Maybe it had been enough.

They looked at each other, Fenn with a look of shrewd consideration on his face that told Kallus the Mandalorian knew he was full of it. Likely, the older man was parsing his words, pulling them apart and evaluating them with what he already knew of his younger lover and the situation at hand. It took less than a minute for him to make a decision, approach Kallus, and take his hands. Fenn pried his hands from the tight fists he'd clenched them into at his sides until he relaxed, and held them gently.

"You say it's fine, Kent, but I'm not sure which of us you're trying to lie to," Fenn chastised. Kallus didn’t blame him for sounding frustrated: he didn't know either. "So why don't we take a break from this conversation, and get you out of your head for a little while?"

If Fenn thought it could be done, why not? "It's worth a try," he agreed. At this point, most anything was.

Fenn brought his right hand to his mouth, and brushed a kiss over the ring again. "I'll give you a choice, dear heart: this isn't going to end in sex right now, but you can keep your clothing on, or take it off."

Kallus was glad for that: he wasn't in a good mental place for it. "What is it you have in mind?"

"I'm going to read for a while to calm down. I'll keep you next to the bed while I read, and give you a task to focus on."

That sounded peaceful. Helpful. Having busy hands would give him something useful on which to focus his energy. "All right. I'll keep my clothing on, however, given the hour."

Fenn tilted his head up slightly to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Very well. Let's get you settled, dear heart, and see if this helps."  
\---

Folding laundry for a half-hour and resting his head on Fenn's thigh for his hair to be played with for another quarter-hour had helped. Devoting himself to a task had always been an excellent way for Kallus to clear his mind: it was a sort of meditation he'd learned at Royal Imperial as a way to unwind after a particularly grueling day. Daily rituals such as grooming, cleaning his armor and weaponry, exercise, and tending to his physical needs had all been treated the same as this. They'd not helped as much lately, not like this did. Having Fenn nearby made a noticeable difference.

The chaos of the rebellion was difficult to adjust to. The chaos of mind these days had been just as bad.

Forty-five minutes had passed. Both were calm. It was time to try again.

"I suppose it is quite early in our relationship for this discussion, but we've already pretended to be married," Fenn began.

Kallus chuckled. "We've more or less moved in together."

"There is that. We're still wearing the wedding bands." Fenn stole his hands again. "I can't get enough of touching you, or looking at you."

"Nor I can I," Kallus reminded him. That unidentifiable warm feeling was back, that one that put a smile on his face and made his toes curl when they kissed for reasons besides passion. In a softer voice, he shyly smiled and added, "You called us family."

Fenn gave him the soft smile that made his stomach flutter. "So I did, and I meant it. I guess that's probably not helped."

Kallus shrugged and ducked his head to hide the blush that went with the odd fluttery sensation. He was going to have to find someone to tell him what that was all about. It would have to be someone who could keep their mouth shut, and who wouldn't tease him about it either, because how annoying would it be if everyone in his life knew about that and started giving him crap over it? "It's not _not_ helped. Maybe it's forced me to think more." It made him feel safe, when he remembered Fenn saying it. That's definitely what it did.

"I'm glad," the older man replied, and tilted Kallus's chin up to press a chaste kiss to his lips that shouldn't have made his stomach do the fluttering thing. "With all of that in mind then, dear heart, please tell me why you feel you cannot have children. Don't worry about my feelings on it, or my age. I want to know why _you_ are mourning this missed opportunity."

He couldn't look Fenn in the eye when he said it. Saying the words aloud took everything in him, so Kallus looked down at their joined hands, at the rings they still hadn't removed, and remembered what Fenn had said to him and how he'd said it. _"We are family, dear heart."_ Sincerity, seriousness, and that-thing-that-was-deeper-than-affection had been heavy in his tone, despite whatever had been haunting him. Kallus drew on the memory for strength. 

"Children shouldn't be raised by monsters," he breathed, glancing up to gauge the reaction. Fenn had been caught off his guard again. His eyes were a little wider than normal, his mouth open in surprise. "No one in their right mind would allow me near anyone young and impressionable. It's why I hadn't brought up what Ezra mentioned earlier before today: Hera and Kanan can hardly be blamed for their caution. Honestly, they might be a little too trusting."

"Kent - "

Kallus shook his head, and Fenn fell silent.

"They aren't the only ones. Any children brought to Yavin IV are quickly steered away from me. If I accidentally get too close to a child, I am threatened." That had been fun. He honestly hadn't seen the rodian younglings hiding behind the crates when he'd sat down. Being calmly walked away at blaster point over it had not been the highlight of his week, and he'd flat-out refused to tell the crew of the _Ghost_ why he was where he was when they'd returned from a supply run and found him well-hidden in an unused, higher level of the temple, with a very small cache of food and water, and dark circles under his eyes.

Kallus took a deep breath. "When we find these little ones, it won't matter what I can do to help, or how much I wish to help: I will have to stay as far from them as possible. In all likelihood I'll be assigned to a separate ship. Nobody wants a former ISB agent near children."

"Who threatened you?" Fenn demanded, anger clear in his face and tone, though he did not raise his voice. Kallus squeezed his hands. 

"Darling, let it go. They were reassigned to another base four weeks ago."

"It was that big group of rodians, wasn't it?" Fenn had it figured out. There hadn't been that many reassigned. "You weren't the only one they were causing trouble for regarding the younglings. Did they say that to you, that you are a monster?"

"I'm only going to answer you if you're not going to hunt them down and challenge them to a fight to the death to defend my honor or something," he said sternly. It was hard to tell with Mandalorians sometimes.

Fenn gave him a look that could either have been a scolding for cracking jokes about Mandalorian traditions (except Kallus wasn't entirely joking), or a look that said he would do as he pleased when it came to fights to the death regarding how members of his family had been treated by other beings, and Kallus could shove it if he thought he could tell Fenn what to do. Kallus raised an eyebrow, and said nothing else. "Your honor is your own to defend," Fenn finally said with a small scowl.

That would have to do. "It was the rodians, but they aren't the only ones who have said such things. I don't disagree with them. My body count is alarmingly high." It wasn't Chopper's, but it was up there.

"You're not the same person you were the day before you became Fulcrum," Fenn stated sternly.

"Monsters don't stop being monsters."

Fenn raised an eyebrow. "Are you still committing genocide? Arresting innocent citizens to preserve the Empire's version of peace? Oppressing alien races and upholding the New Order?"

Kallus scoffed. "Of course not!"

"Would you do it ever again, Kent? Would you leave here if the Alliance wasn't everything you thought it was and go back to the life you had before, if you could?" Fenn's tone was firm, but gentle.

"Never," Kallus practically growled. "I would die before I would go back to that life."

"Then you've changed. You're not one of their monsters anymore, dear heart," Fenn passionately pressed. "They fooled you for nearly twenty years, and Zeb brought you to your senses. Dear heart, you're a man of conviction. You've told us all multiple times that you were following orders you believed were right. That you were following the side you thought was right. Is that not why you're here now?"

Kallus turned his head and made to stand, but this time his lover held him firmly in place. "Why are you here, Kent? Why are you in this room, on this ship, in this rebellion?"

"Because the Empire needs to be stopped, and I want to help stop it." He looked Fenn in the eye, the fight draining out of him. "Because it's the right thing to do, and I want to do it."

Fenn's expression softened, but his grip and tone did not. "Do you really think a monster would be here for those reasons? Do you think a monster would be so passionate about rescuing slaves?" Kallus shook his head 'no'. "Do you think I would choose to share my heart and my bed with a monster?"

Kallus exhaled, ignored the way it came out as a stutter, as though he were going to cry. "No," he murmured, "no, I suppose not."

"Then does it not follow, dear heart, that there's no logical way you could possibly be a monster?"

A small huff escaped him, and he pressed forward, pinning Fenn against the side wall of the bunk so he bury his face in the man's neck. "You and your damn logic," he muttered gratefully, and let himself be held.

"It did its job, did it?" Fenn retorted, and pulled back enough to kiss his forehead. Forehead kisses were one of those things Kallus both liked and disliked. They made him feel like a child and they easily quieted him, but he felt so safe and wanted. Wasn't there an age where they were supposed to quit working? It irked him.

"It did," he muttered.

Fenn sounded pleased with himself. "Good," he replied, "then I suppose all that needs said right now is that I do not mind the idea of having children one day - though we hardly need to discuss that right now - and if anybody tries to keep you away from helping where you can solely because of who you no longer are, it will not be tolerated."

Both topics were very interesting to him. He wanted discuss both further, hear Fenn's thoughts on both.

He also didn't want to talk about either right now.

"Thank you, darling, " Kallus said instead, and snuggled closer. This one he wanted to keep. He would do anything to keep Fenn by his side.

"You're welcome, dear heart." Another forehead kiss, but this time, he didn't mind.

 _"We are family, dear heart."_  
\---

Tomorrow evening had been a damned accurate call, but for the wrong thing. The entire group had managed to not be busy at the same time and was finishing up the evening meal in the forward mess hall when Kallus's comlink beeped. It sparked a series of groans that took a moment to hush before he could answer. "Captain Kallus."

"Lieutenant Andor. General Draven wants you in interrogation room O-81 in half an hour, in uniform."

"Thank you, lieutenant." Kallus pocketed the comlink and tossed back the rest of his drink.

Everyone else stood up with him. "Should we wait up?" Zeb asked as they started cleaning up trays and trash and making for the exit.

Kallus considered it, then shook his head. "I wouldn't. Either this won't take long and you'll still be awake, or this will take ages and you'll all be woken if you're needed."

"You sure?" Ezra asked.

"There's no reason you can't enjoy the rest of your time off," Kallus shrugged, parting from the group as he went to change.

He made it downstairs with two minutes to spare, despite having to stop at uniform surplus to secure a turtleneck version of his uniform shirt to cover the plethora of hickeys still visible on his neck. General Draven himself was waiting at Intelligence to let him into the section, and pulled him into a disused room to brief him. "Sit," he ordered, and locked the door. 

Oh, this ought to be really good if they weren't standing on any sort of ceremony. Kallus leaned forward, already interested. The general wasn't sitting down. He was agitated, but not at Kallus. Enough that his body language suggested he was considering pacing.

This was going to be really good.

"You absolutely do not have to tell anybody if this ever did happen - in fact, I would encourage you not to - and you do not have to go along with this plan at all." Kallus raised an eyebrow, but waited. Something in the general's tone suggested he find a reason to not go along with it. "One of the interrogators thought you hit on something when you suggested that Vanto was uncomfortable with the idea of Thrawn being romantically involved with anyone else. Two of them tested that line of thought using you, the most well-known traitor to the Empire, and it really got under his skin."

The other eyebrow joined the first. Now there was a thought. He'd considered it - had definitely and unashamedly gotten off to the thought of it on more than one occasion both during and after his betrayal - but had never attempted to seduce the grand admiral. "Multiple people told him I slept with Grand Admiral Creepy because I strongly implied to Vanto that he was sleeping with Pryce?"

General Draven gave him a Look, and Kallus shrugged. "I think everyone who served under him considered it, but literally no one else besides Pryce is that brave or arrogant enough to believe themselves above regulations. It's not worth the punishment. Vanto probably also knows, somewhere in a more logical part of his mind, that as an ISB officer I was responsible for following, obeying, and enforcing the letter of the law. Sleeping with a non-human, even the highest-ranking Imperial Officer, even one that unbelievably attractive, is still a crime punishable by a court-martial for breaking fraternization regulations and then punishable by death because they were broken with a non-human7."

"As a high-ranking ISB officer you would have been in place to get around those regulations," Draven argued.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Grand Admiral Thrawn was close to Colonel Yularen, but if the colonel ever found out about this hypothetical 'us' there's no way he wouldn't have put his foot down. You'd also be compromising me further here. I still have difficulty with my subordinates and other officers from time to time. Tell him that and you risk starting a rumor that puts my credibility and my life at risk." Kallus let his gaze grow firm and cold.

Draven looked less agitated, at least. Perhaps he was relieved that he wasn't the only one who thought it was a completely idiotic idea. "Do you have another suggestion?"

Kallus relaxed back into his seat. "Let me gaslight him, sir. You've clearly got him doubting a lot now if he fell for something that stupid. If we can push him a little further, maybe we can find out what exactly is waiting at those two systems he named before Command starts getting impatient and decides to send someone unprepared to their deaths to scout them."

"It's better than having you pretend you slept with Thrawn."

"Anything's better than that," Kallus muttered as Draven sat down. "Tell me about his current status, sir. I need to know what I'm walking into before I sit down with him again."  
\---

The last thing he expected to find in his quarters at 0148 was more than one other person waiting for him to return. Fenn was sitting on their bed, Zeb on the floor, and Kanan had the desk chair pulled up close to them. "Everything okay?" Kanan asked as Kallus paused in the threshold, taking in the sight before stepping into the room and joining Fenn on the bed.

"Yes. Vanto's earned an entire day's break while Intel reviews his interrogations so far. They wanted me to go back in." There was no way he was going to tell them the stupid idea the lower ranking officers had initially come up with either in case they had to use it for something else later.

"So are we going tomorrow or stuck here another day?" Zeb asked. He sounded bored. He looked bored. 

Kallus leaned forward to pet him. "We can spar tomorrow if you're that close to getting out of shape, old man," he teased, easily ducking the swat Zeb aimed at his hand. He glanced at Kanan. "Speaking of old, what are you two doing here so late? You're usually both asleep by now."

Kanan and Zeb both looked away, slightly guilty looks on their faces. A quick look at Fenn revealed the same look. "Out with it," Kallus demanded, turning his glare on Kanan. The Jedi might be blind, but he'd know he was being glared at, and he'd buckle first.

"After dinner, Ezra had some concerns." Oh _kriffing hell_. A punishment indeed! "He dragged us all back to the _Ghost_ to talk and uh, well," Kanan trailed off.

Fenn stepped in, "Kanan and Hera got in a fight, and then Kanan and Hera and Zeb got in a fight."

Kallus rolled his eyes. "So now Kanan and Zeb are fine with each other and disagree with Hera," he concluded, nodding at the evidence sitting in their room.

"And the kids and Rex agree with whatever it is Fenn thinks," Zeb finished, sounding embarrassed. Oh good. At least four of them were potentially sane.

"See, this is why I didn't want to talk about any of this until after the mission," Kallus muttered accusingly, half-glaring at Fenn, who held his hands up in surrender. 

Fenn did his very best to look apologetic. "I know, Kent, I'm sorry. This one is Ezra's fault though, and I'm going to blame him. I've been assured that's a perfectly acceptable and legal thing to do in this situation, so you're allowed to blame him too."

Kanan sighed. "Yeah, about stuff like that, I hadn't realized we were doing it."

"No, _stop_ ," Kallus insisted, shaking his hand. "Ezra's more than a padawan to you, Kanan. You treat him like a son. I worry you aren't cautious enough, sometimes, and I'd be wary around me too. It's not difficult to understand, given our past together, why you'd want to be cautious with me near him and Sabine."

"They're old enough to handle themselves though, is the thing," Kanan argued, raising a hand to forestall Kallus's next argument. "We send them off alone on dangerous missions, we shouldn't be monitoring your interactions with them that closely. It's not like Ezra's still fourteen. Yeah, sometimes he has all the common sense of a loaf of bread, but he's a teenage boy. It's bound to happen."

Kallus chuckled. "A loaf of bread?"

Zeb grinned. "Ezra's done some really stupid stuff besides the things you've actually witnessed."

Kanan groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Look, remind me next time he pisses me off and I'll tell you stories. The point is, we keep insisting you're part of the family, and then we treat you differently. You've called us out on it before, and we ignored it. We forgot to invite you to that Mother's Day thing8 and no one apologized. I'm sorry, Kallus. This isn't how family treats each other. I'll do better."

It took him a minute to realized Kanan had stopped talking because Kallus was floored that this conversation was happening at all. Zeb poked him: he startled slightly, and looked down. "I've been a sorry excuse for a friend to you," he added, ears flat, not quite making eye contact. It was the most contrite Kallus had ever seen him. "We came here to apologize, and say that Ezra's right. I'm sorry too, Kal. You gave up everything you ever knew for us, and we've not been the best to you."

"Thank you," Kallus managed after a moment, still stunned but no longer speechless. "I wasn't expecting this. It means a lot."

Kanan stood, and Zeb bent to ruffle his hair as he stood as well. "We can talk about it more tomorrow, Kal. For now, you get some sleep: you look ready to drop. We have some more talking to go do."

"Good night," Kallus said, still sitting there stunned as his lover showed them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was tough to write, but I got a lot of practice with dialogue and writing reasonable emotions for the situation. A lot got cut out of this. It was 50+ pages, but I had some stuff that didn't make sense for Kallus, reaction-wise, and some stuff that wasn't necessary for moving along the story. I'm glad to finally get to and through this chapter. Star Wars: Rebels is a story about family, and bringing a man into it who's been without one for so long is really intriguing, isn't it? It's fun to play with it, but eventually, he has to work through his own experiences and thoughts on family, so I was excited to finally make it to this point! I spent a lot of time writing this one, and I hope the payoff was worth it and you guys enjoyed it.
> 
> Okay, I hope you cried or at least hurt a little. :)  
> \---
> 
> 1: In the last sex scene of chapter 3 Fenn gifted Kallus with a new toy to wear for the day.  
> 2: As a sub IRL, this is one of those weirdly grounding punishments you'd think would be annoying. I do it to my friends' kids when I babysit. They're 5 and 7 and they hate it because "ibreathe, it's so _booooooring_!" (Dude, you shouldn't have done the thing then.) But when I get put in the corner, it's very zen. Go figure. It's like spanking: hated it as a kid, love it now.  
>  3: Before anybody gets on me about wearing butt plugs all day, [I'd like to introduce you to wearing butt plugs all day](https://www.sexpressed.com/20160803/). It's safe, _and_ it's fun.  
>  4: [I finally remembered to come back and link to that story](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10954095/chapters/24380040).  
> 5: [Regarding the Galactic Empire's time off policies for service members post-graduation: "It was highly discouraged to take recreational time off, with most members remaining in service until they hit the mandatory retirement age, or died."](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Academy)  
> 6: [Y'all know 2:14 is what I'm talking about.](https://youtu.be/V-bJ0AqS-oI)  
> 7: I'm making shit up because I can, but I thought I had a Wookieepedia article saved that backed me up. Can't find it. Will keep digging.  
> 8: [The Mother's Day incident](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10905903), in case you want to have more emotions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He blinked once, opened his mouth to speak, shook his head, and decided to stare at his boots instead. It had been a very long day, and a lot of weird things had happened. The day before that had been even worse because he'd spent each second of it with every nerve-ending on edge, terrified that Thrawn was going to wake up and find some way to take every good thing in his life away from him. Kallus was still on edge, the fear that Thrawn was going to kill Fenn slowly and make him watch - or worse, make him do it - lingering right on the edge of his conscious mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to ask you to do something for me. **Please don't translate the Mando'a as you go. _The payoff will be better if you don't_.** Don't scroll to the bottom. Don't go to the translation website. 
> 
> _Please trust in my ability as your storyteller._ You've come this far with me. I have given you what you need.
> 
> Vod: Brother  
> Riduur: Spouse

"'A quick, quiet check of Vendaxa and Iktotchon.' Weren't those General Draven's orders?" Hera yelled over the comms. 

"I'm not the one who put the TIE Intercepters here!" Kallus snapped back. It wasn't how he'd planned for his day to go, except that it sort of was, because that's how things inevitably went if you were on a mission on the _Ghost_. "If you want to give someone a dressing down, find their XO and give it to him or her after we figure out where they launched from." He twisted the turret, tracking an interceptor and taking the shot. They were stupidly quick, but he had a lock on the target. It blew apart, one of the wings flying off and taking out another TIE that tried to use the explosion as cover to push through. 

Rex was manning the nose gun, and Kallus saw three shots lance out from it that took out another small wave coming at them. "Anything besides these guys on the scanners?" the clone asked. It was hard to see anything with human eyes in deep space. They'd yet to approach the planets in this system, and there wasn't much in the way of visible light out here at the edges of it besides what the ship's external lights illuminated. 

"Only asteroids," Fenn replied, notably more calm than the twi'lek, "nothing with any technology or life signs yet." Hera had stuck him in the co-pilot's chair, and decided to send Kanan and Chopper off with the kids in the _Gauntlet_ after a long argument Ezra had confided to Kallus lasted half the night.

So far, her, Fenn, Rex, and Kallus were doing pretty damn well, if one didn’t count the defensive screen of TIEs that had been waiting for them when they arrived. Kallus blasted the last one on his scope out of the sky and they were clear. "If we've only asteroids around us, they had to come from one of those. Do we have any likely candidates as to where that last wave came from?" he asked.

"Pulling it up now," Hera informed him. There was silence for a moment, then some quiet murmuring between her and Fenn as they sorted through it. Kallus crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the transparisteel bubble around him while they handled the data. Getting here had taken them a bit over twenty-six hours in hyperspace and he'd been awake for the majority of it, unable to get into a good, refreshing sleep without Zeb here.

Never mind that his lover's arms were wrapped around him while Fenn slept, it was weird to try to sleep on the Ghost without the lasat cradling him in his bunk. That wasn't normal at all, he suspected, to crave being in someone else's arms while you were in a relationship. Fenn knew of their past attempt at a fling, knew he and Zeb were close and didn't disapprove of it or the physical affection between them, but it still seemed like it would be a weird thing to bring up. How would that conversation even go? "Darling, I'm having trouble sleeping because Zeb's not here to hold me." "I understand, dear heart, I know I'm not him, but it'll be all right."

No. No, that's not at all how that would go. It would be a dangerous conversation to have, for Kallus, especially before Kallus could name his own emotions for Fenn. Everything he felt for Fenn he felt very strongly. There was a large range of emotion present, but some of it he couldn't recall ever feeling before, and he couldn't put a name to those. That left him at a disadvantage, so far as their emotional relationship went, because Fenn could name things Kallus could not. 

Nevertheless, it was a conversation that was likely inevitable.

"Okay, got it," Hera's voice drew him out of his contemplations. "There's a hollowed out asteroid around the other side of that big one."

"I see it," Fenn said. "Scanners don't show any signs of life, but they could be shielding themselves." 

Kallus didn't like the thought of that. Vanto said he fully expected them to run into pirates out here that had been working with the guilty admirals in question. If that was the case, were those pirates or Imperials that had been piloting the TIEs? Both possibilities came with their own set of implications they would have to deal with upon finding their base. One potentially had an entire star destroyer and up to 37,000 crew attached to it. Both potentially meant that these admirals were heavily engaged in trafficking with pirates. According to Vanto, that meant Thrawn would be more personally engaged in trying to hunt them down.

As the only grand admiral, Thrawn outranked all of Navy High Command, and if he felt resources were being misused, he was well within his rights to put an end to the abuse. TIEs being given to pirates as a reward for assisting in a money-making endeavor would certainly count. TIE being given to pirates as a reward for assisting in a sex trafficking endeavor using Imperial time and resources would end in a lot of death sentences.

That was who he was really afraid of encountering out here. Whatever respect he had for the man as a commander and a tactician, it wasn't enough to hide Kallus's fear of what would happen to him should Thrawn recapture him. It would be ten times worse if Thrawn managed to capture anyone he cared about as well. Imperial interrogation tactics would call for them to use his concern for his companions against him to try to break him, and if it was Fenn they had, there was a chance he might fold.

A small chance only, he thought. Kallus had been trained by the same people who would try to break him apart.

He quieted his thoughts and focused on their approach. Doom and gloom wouldn't do them any good right now, and he needed to pay close attention if they were all going to survive this. All running lights had been cut off and they were approaching at one-half sublight. Hera kept them low, practically skimming the surface of the asteroid, to avoid scanners. She put them down at the edge of what looked like a cliff, and Fenn and Kallus stood up, meeting in the hallway off the bridge. "Suit up, and make it fast, you two," she ordered. 

Kallus took a moment to study her. The twi'lek woman looked worried: not that he blamed her. She was sending two of her best fighters into a den of the unknown on a recon mission. They were supposed to get in and get out, but things never went so easy for them. If there was anyone there who could be saved immediately without endangering the crew or the mission, it also on them to get those beings safely out of there.

Of course she was concerned.

The borrowed flight suit was barely large enough to fit him, but Kallus made do. The important thing was that all the vacuum seals worked, which they did. Space walks were not his idea of fun, and he'd rarely done them since his mandatory academy training. Fenn was by his side, at least, and they made it over the cliff of the asteroid and to the open hangar doors without seeing any signs of life. It was empty of ships and personnel. Odd, unless the last few fighters had been covering someone's escape. 

The two of them glanced at each other and drew blasters. "Talk to me, you two," Hera said a moment later, as they had started silently advancing down the wall towards what looked like the hangar bay control office. The windows were black from the outside. They kept their backs to the doorless wall keeping the rock wall of the asteroid from collapsing inward, blasters at the ready and safeties off. Kallus's finger wasn't on the trigger, though he kept it close. Many years of firearms training and recertification had taught him better blaster safety and discipline than 99% of the Alliance had ever learned.

"No ships in the hangar," Fenn reported back in a low voice. "No signs of life in here either. We're heading for the control office to see if we can't fire up a computer terminal."

He left the link open - let her listen to them breathe if it made her less edgy - as they approached the door. Kallus took point: he trusted Fenn to watch his back. Pushing the panel to open the door didn't work. A groan escaped Kallus's mouth and he holstered his blaster so he could tug the panel loose from the wall to quietly fiddle with the wires while Fenn checked it for traps. Sure he had it now, he drew his blaster again and nodded at Fenn, who squeezed his shoulder. Time to go.

He pushed the button, and the door slid open, letting them in. Kallus raised his blaster and went right, keeping along the wall in that direction. Behind him, Fenn went left. The door slid shut behind them. "Clear, closed door," Kallus called from his position, already examining the door ahead of him from his position while he waited.

"Clear," Fenn confirmed a second later.

Kallus swept his gaze around the room, and up across the ceiling once. Good. "On me," he ordered, and waited to feel Fenn's hand on his shoulders before moving forward. "Specter Seven to Specter Two, do we know anything about the schematics of this or any similar pirate or merchant bases?"

"We might. Hold on." He could hear her working, pulling up files. "The next room you enter should be the main control office for the hangar bay, if it's set up similarly to other pirate bases we've seen in this area."

So it was dark. Great. At least this model blaster came with a light attached. Kallus flicked it on. "Thank you," he said, and paused outside the door. Fenn checked it for traps, signaled they were good to go, and Kallus nodded. They were ready. Fenn pressed the button as Kallus raised the blaster since it was on his side this time, and Kallus moved in. He slide right, and Fenn left, moving against the walls, this time there was a hostile in his area. The man stood, pulled a blaster on Kallus, but he was too slow. 

"Two hostiles down," Fenn reported, as Kallus took his shot, dropping the man with one shot to the skull.

"One hostile down," Kallus added, stepping forward to quickly kick the blaster out of range of the body just in case.

"Clear," Fenn said a moment later, at roughly the same time Kallus did. Leaving the lights off, Kallus activated the hangar bay terminal to see what they could find. Fenn leaned over him protectively, a hand on his shoulder.

It didn't take Kallus long to find his way inside their network, but it took some effort to find their ships' names and registrations, cargo manifests, and when they'd been obtained. What he really wanted were the serial numbers of those TIEs and when they had been received. Kallus had been forced to dig into their maintenance logs to pull everything. All of it was copied over to a portable drive, and then they tried to call up a map. Nothing.

"Looks like we'll be searching blind," Kallus muttered. "There's no map."

Fenn shrugged, and patted his shoulder before pulling back. Kallus backed out of the terminal, covering their tracks as he went. "We'll stick close together then," Fenn stated. "No sense in splitting up."

"Okay," Hera replied. "Keep your comms open though."

She definitely still sounded worried. It was a tone he was more used to hearing in relation to Kanan or the kids than him, but it did make him feel like she wanted him to return. The long conversation they'd had in hyperspace on the way here seemed to have helped smooth things out between them. Ezra, more than Kanan or Zeb, had gotten through to her regarding how unfairly he'd been treated.

The pair of them carefully made their way back into the hangar bay, then around the wall of the control room. Beyond that was a long hallway: a tactical nightmare even if both parties were well-armored, which Fenn was and Kallus wasn't. It was well-lit, with not many doors off of it. Fenn put himself in front of Kallus and they both crouched as the Mandalorian used his helmet controls to exam it. "I'm still not getting any heat signatures or picking up any sounds indicating voices besides ours," he murmured. "There are two doors near to the end, both on the right-hand side. I'll take point, since you're not wearing armor."

Kallus nodded, and they switched places, his lover taking the lead as they advanced cautiously down the hall. The easiest place for Fenn to feel his hand was slightly under the helmet, against the thick fabric that covered his neck, and that’s where Kallus kept it as they moved, sticking to the right-hand wall. The first door slid open quietly and took no time to secure: it was a storage closet. The second door turned out to be where the hall dead-ended. 

"Any idea what's behind it?" Kallus asked quietly. 

Fenn shook his head. "There's but one way to know for sure. Cover me, dear heart."

Kallus butted their helmets together, and nodded. The gloved fingers of his right hand rested over the release for the door, his blaster in his left. When Fenn whispered, "Go," Kallus hit the button and brought his blaster back up, held properly in both hands. He saw his lover break right, moved left on instinct, and visually swept his area floor to ceiling. Nothing. 

"Clear," he called, turning to look for Fenn. There was barely anything he'd called furniture in here. No droids or computers either, though it looked like a lot had been hastily packed away.

"Clear," Fenn called back. "Door, open. On me."

They'd have to pick through here later. Kallus joined him, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. The next room they cleared were clearly barracks, of a sort. That led to another short hallway - again, blessedly empty - that had a few rooms: more barracks style bunks, refreshers, a mess hall, and some much more depressing finds. These pirates hadn't had time to space the bodies of the cargo they couldn't carry. Fenn and Kallus left those rooms alone for now, and continued their search.

Wailing. Kallus could clearly hear wailing. He and Fenn paused in the middle of the hallway in which they currently found themselves and looked as each other. "Does that sounds like babies to you?" Kallus murmured.

"Yes?" Fenn responded. "Maybe."

They entered the room, cleared it, and only then did Kallus allow himself to focus on what had been making the noise even as Fenn sat down at the control console to clear the playback on the monitor and try to get it working. "Specter Seven to Specter Two."

"Go ahead Seven."

"We've cleared the base, there's no one else breathing here. There seems to be video evidence: Specter Eight is attempting to retrieve it now." Fenn was swearing under his breath at it as he fought with the console. It looked like someone attempted to delete it and didn't quite manage it. Kallus brushed his legs aside to help, ducking under the console. Of the two of them, he was more skilled with computers and programming. Four minutes were all he needed to rewire the thing enough that they might get something, with occasional feedback from his lover on if this or that had helped.

He could at least try to pull the backups when he resurfaced. Kallus had been making good progress until he'd heard the proximity alert go off on the _Ghost_ through the comms and Rex swearing vehemently. "Talk to me, Specter Two," Fenn said tersely as Kallus gave up trying to dump it and started disconnecting the damn drive with his multitool. The drive was small enough to carry and there was no fucking way he was sticking around to get a data dump from a corrupt drive. 

"Another ship," Hera snapped. "It's - oh, no."

They exchanged a glance between them. That tone usually meant, 'Sorry, guys, you're on your own for a while.'

"It's the ship from before, when we left Denon. I'm sorry, but we're shutting down to avoid detection. Get back up here as soon as you can. If I can come to you, I will."

Kallus swore fervently, and went right back to work at disconnecting the drive as Fenn acknowledged the order and signed off the comm. He reached up to fiddle with the comm on the younger man's helmet as Kallus worked and set it to a private frequency. It was slightly annoying as he was still wearing the damn thing, but they needed to be able to move. He understood. As soon as Kallus had the small drive disconnected, he passed it to his lover and stood. Fenn had more places on his person to safely stash it than Kallus did right now. 

"We need a plan, dear heart," Fenn urged, his left hand resting on the butt of his blaster while his right worked the scanners in his helmet as he peered down the hall. 

"Back to the hangar bay as fast as we can safely go," Kallus decided. "We need to leave." If it was Thrawn - and really, even if it wasn't - they needed to get out of here as quickly as they could.

It was a tense trip back. They employed the same strategy to get back to the exit as they had to clear the base. With no way to know for sure if any ships had managed to land, some speed had to be sacrificed in the name of caution. They would have no way of knowing they were no longer alone until they made visual contact or heard something. Voices answered that for them eventually as they moved through one of the cargo holds that still had a few empty boxes in it. Fenn kept them to the back wall of it, behind boxes and in shadows, but raised his left hand in a fist as soon as they heard other people. Kallus was glad for it. He knew those voices.

 _Thrawn_ , he spelled to Fenn. That voiced haunted him still and often followed him into sleep. The Mandalorian had woken and held him through several nightmares as a result of what the Chiss had done.

 _Two more,_ Fenn signed, and gripped Kallus's arm to quietly shift them as the voices came closer.

The change in position put Kallus behind him, prompting a wave of affection to bubble up in the ex-Imperial. In all likelihood, they were going to be captured in the next five minutes, but Fenn was doing his damnedest to make sure the better armored of the two of them would get shot at first. _Yularen_ , he signed, though he had to reach around to do it. _And the ISB Director._

What was he doing all the way out here? The old man hardly ever left the Verity District on Coruscant, but here he was with Thrawn and Colonel Yularen, looking into this trafficking problem himself. That didn't bode well for them. The Alliance would have to move quickly and decisively to stay ahead of that trio on this. They held very, very still, and the three sets of footsteps receded carefully down the hall. Kallus didn't miss that they advanced similarly to how he and Fenn had moved: the three of them weren't sure what they'd be finding either. The pair of them waited until they'd hear a blast door open and close before carefully moving again, retreating to the hangar via the shadows and the cover of boxes and equipment left behind by the pirates.

No rear guard was waiting for them in the hallways or rooms they passed back through, which make Kallus more nervous. Fenn seemed to grow more tense as they moved as well. Whatever backup Thrawn had brought would most likely be waiting in the hangar bay. They needed to find a place to hide unnoticed until he left, depending on what was waiting for them.

Shadows were broadly cast over the hangar bay now: whatever generator had been providing lights to this section of the the base had clearly gone out and only the running lights of an odd-looking ship illuminated the large space. The strange ship that had confronted them in space after Denon was waiting. It was smaller than Kallus had expected it to be, but not by much. There was no time to study the beautiful ship, however much he wanted to: they had to keep moving. He and Fenn used the back door into the hangar bay office door and wired it closed behind them.

Everyone inside was still dead, and the lights were still off. They advanced to the door they'd originally come in, and peered out the window at the unfamiliar ship. "No windows on this side," Fenn breathed. "We can use the ship itself as cover once we get beyond her port bow. So long as there are no windows in the back someone is looking out, we ought to be able to get to the cliff face."

"Not if she's got sensors running," Kallus breathed back. "Do you really want to chance it, darling?"

"No, but I thought I'd put the option out there, dear heart." Fenn took his hand and squeezed it. "My only wish is to get us both out of here alive and not captured."

"I hate to say it, but I think it might more tactically sound to find a safe place to hole up until Hera can come to us." Kallus turned to look at the faceless helmet, and was relieved when Fenn nodded. 

They looked around the room, and noticed one of the large floor panels was loose. Shrugs were exchanged, and they quietly slid it out of the way, training blasters on the hole. It was deep enough for a man to stand in, so Fenn went first. _Tunnel,_ he signed. _Leads out_.

Toward where they wanted to go, in other words. Kallus slid the metal plate back where they could easily grab it and jumped down. Together, they slid it back into place, and then he grabbed his blaster and clicked on the attached light so they could advance down the tunnel together. It was made of durasteel the entire way, reinforced with beams. Artificial gravity functioned for the length of it, as did the artificial atmosphere. There were no lights, however, and the tunnel ceiling and walls curved strangely. Both men had to duck at several points.

At the end of the tunnel was a curved rock that more or less fit snugly over the exit. The air had slowly been getting thinner as they walked according to Fenn's helmet sensors, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. A control panel on the wall made Kallus raise an eyebrow at Fenn, but they decided to try it anyway. The air in the tunnel was slowly suctioned away: vacuum. It led out! They hastily checked and rechecked the seals on their suits and when the curved rock rolled away, there was a small pull - the pressure hadn't quite equalized - and they were outside. 

Below them was the hangar, where the stern of the beautiful mystery ship was visible. Above them would be the _Ghost_ , assuming Thrawn hadn't discovered Hera and Rex. Fenn grabbed onto him and tugged him close - pulled Kallus's arms around his neck - and used his jet pack to get them where they needed to go. Hera saw them coming. By the time they landed the ramp was down and the engines were running. They hit the button to raise the ramp up behind them, pulled their helmets off, and collapsed into each other for a moment.

"Get up here!" Hera chided, sounding amused and concerned. "Kallus, I need my other gunner! You can snuggle and be grateful you're alive later."

"Yes ma'am," they chorused, sharing a brief kiss before parting to pull each other along to where they needed to go. Getting out of here before they could be blasted to dust and debris and to the rendezvous without Thrawn following them there, ship's guns blazing was the priority now.  
\---

Thrawn didn't pursue them from Vendaxa: Rex's insistence on multiple jumps likely had something to do with that. They waited at the rendezvous point with turrets ready anyway, Kallus watching the skies as he finished peeling himself out of the flight suit and discussed what crew changes to make, if any. It wouldn't hurt to have that third gunner position filled, he thought, and pointed it out. 

Then the _Gauntlet_ arrived, and as they maneuvered to dock, a second ship came out of hyperspace.

The amount of swearing that erupted over the comms would have been funny if it hadn't been such a serious situation. "Kriffing hell!" Sabine exclaimed, and the _Gauntlet_ broke away, maneuvering under Thrawn's ship and away from the _Ghost_. "I thought we lost him!"

"It doesn't matter now!" Hera snapped. "Stay sharp. That ship is fast, and we don't know its capabilities."

Whichever of their pursuers was handling the controls was a damn good pilot, and its shields were excellent. Kallus and Rex had scored several hits, but still hadn't managed to punch through, and the _Gauntlet_ wasn't doing much better. Two of their best pilots - pilots who could hold their own for a semi-decent time against Fenn and Lord Vader - were doing well but were no closer to getting a hit. If this kept up much longer they would run out of fuel on their way back to the fleet.

Maybe Hera was thinking along similar lines. "Rau, get in the _Phantom II_ and give them hell," Hera finally declared through clenched teeth. Kallus felt his stomach tighten a little, but grit his teeth. Fenn was a natural in a cockpit. If any of them had a shot at out-flying this bastard, it was him. It was a shame he wasn't in the _Gauntlet_ : he knew the Mandalorian fighters better than any of them and would have been utterly devastating in it, but there was nothing he couldn't pilot.

A few minutes later, there was Fenn, weaving in between the other three ships. Kallus heard Fenn take charge, heard his orders come through and followed them when they pertained to him. It took his lover less than a half-hour to cripple the other craft beyond immediate repair and bring the battle to a close. Kallus kept his sights trained on the cockpit of the small ship. Through a pair of macrobinoculars he was able to relay the identities of most of their visible prisoners to Hera to relay to Command and keep an ear on the conversation Fenn was having with the cornered and disabled vessel. Thrawn, Yularen, the Director, and a couple of Ensigns, it looked like. Three valuable prizes they ought to execute here and now. Bringing them in would be utterly stupid - 

"We're taking them into custody," Hera said into his ear.

The comms fell silent, save for a fast, "Pardon me," from Fenn, directed at their prisoners as he muted their line.

"Has Command lost their minds?" Ezra asked.

"That's far too risky," Kallus agreed.

Sabine sighed and resorted to sarcasm. "If they want us all to die, sure, we can take them as prisoners and bring them in. That makes sense. Let's bring three super high ranking and well trained members of the Empire to part of our secret Fleet. There's no way that's going to backfire."

"Can you call them back and tell them they've gone off the deep end?" Kanan asked.

Hera let out an exasperated sigh. "What exactly do you want me to say? 'Sorry, you're risking too many lives and we hate these guys in particular, so screw the rebellion and the hope of gaining valuable intel?'"

There were whispers over the comms as the _Gauntlet's_ crew conferred. "Not exactly. Tell 'em that it's a damn stupid decision," Zeb said decisively, "and we're going to have to disobey that one on those grounds."

"Kallus, Rex, Fenn?" Hera pleaded. "Someone sane?"

"I'll make the call myself and tell them," Kallus offered calmly. He was still watching the prisoners. "General Draven is a reasonable man. He'll tell the rest of Command exactly what they can do with their orders."

Fenn sounded annoyed. "If we blow them up they'll quit hailing me. My trigger finger can slip as easily as any man's."

"Find out what they want," Hera said, "and don't blow them up in the process. Rex?"

There was silence for a long minute, and Hera had to prompt him two more times to get an answer out of him.

"Cody's on that ship," he breathed, his voice somewhere between heartbroken and hopeful. "I can see him. I - Kallus? The one by Yularen: is that his name?"

Kallus swallowed hard. It was something he'd never wanted to tell the kind old clone, what role Commander Cody had played after the Galactic Empire had taken over once he'd heard the other's war stories. Like the others, Kallus was fascinated with tales from the front lines, but he'd resolved not to reveal the fate of Rex's partner unless he'd had no choice.

It seemed that time had come. "Yes. ISB Director Cody. Very rarely do any of us use more than one name, except Colonel Yularen, since he was Navy before he was ISB. I had hoped it wasn't him."

A longer silence followed in which it seemed to Kallus like none of them dared to breathe. "Hera, _please_."

"Fenn, ask them to confirm the identities of all hands on boards." The order was met with a groan, and Kallus knew they'd lost to the heartbreak in Rex's voice. None of them would argue with that.

 _This is a load of pfassh_ , he thought to himself. There was no fucking way they could transport all of them on the same ship. Confirmations came over the line, along with Rex's heavy breaths: Thrawn, Yularen, CC-2224, a Captain Pellaeon, Lyste - joy of joys, he hoped he wasn't assigned to handle that interrogation - and some Ensign Tschel. Six officers, three ships, and nine potential guards. They'd have to drug and separate them. Rex would hate it, but he wasn't riding with CC-2224 while he was in shock. None of the senior officers were going together.

There was a click in his ear, the sound of someone switching to the ship's intercom. "Kallus, are you already working this out?" Hera asked quietly. 

He chuckled softly over the line. "You know me. How do you feel about using sedatives?"

"Safer," she responded honestly.

"Good." Kallus was glad he wouldn't have to argue that point. "Glad to hear it. Two of those men are far too experienced in close-quarters combat to be transported while awake."

Hera sighed, sounded relieved. "Agreed."

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do."  
\---

It took some work, but [they got their captives separated](https://imgur.com/a/VvzUD)1: Fenn, Kallus, and Chopper had Thrawn and Pellaeon aboard the _Phantom II_ ; Yularen and the younger lieutenant were aboard the _Ghost_ with Hera, Kanan, and a very upset Rex; and CC-2224 and Lyste were on the _Gauntlet_ with Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb. All too aware of the tricks Thrawn had tried to play with Vanto, Kallus had each of their prisoners thoroughly scanned by the medical droid for implants, then took their rank placards, comlinks, and code cylinders, and left them on the mystery ship so they could blow the damn things apart with the ship. Any evidence Thrawn claimed they had was kept on data cards, not to be touched until they returned and the techs could examine them on an isolated terminal. Kallus would keep those with him for the duration of the return to the Fleet.

Kanan had backed him up on blowing up the ship as well, so when Sabine had remarked that Command wouldn't like that, Kallus shrugged off her concerns. "I haven't forgiven them for the last stupid decision they made," he replied nonchalantly, letting his eyes drift over to Thrawn so she would catch his meaning. Sabine nodded, conceding the point. Kallus gave her permission to blow it up in return, fondly watched how her eyes lit up in delight. Zeb rested a hand on his shoulder and gave him an approving smile. Fenn looked at him lovingly, and Kallus back tenderly smiled at him.

At least being the one with the authority to decide how to handle their prisoners left it in his hands how all of that went. The prisoners were securely bound with their hands behind them and feet together before he drugged them, starting with the ones going to Ezra's ship. Kallus kept his gaze cold and hard and his touch clinical as he doped them both up enough to knock them out for the 26 hour trip back. He let Zeb carry them back with extra sedatives in case the clone burned through them quickly. Kanan stayed in the room as he got the young lieutenant and Yularen out, got the old man connected to the machine that would monitor his vitals, and bound to the medical beds in a pin that would be a little uncomfortable, but bearable so long as neither of them moved. Getting out of that would be tricky. 

The ones coming with them, he would sedate on the _Phantom II_ before they pulled away so Kanan or Rex could stand guard and no one had to carry Thrawn.

Kanan stayed in sickbay, and Rex escorted them to the _Phantom II_. Chopper was already preparing it for flight, and turned to growl threateningly as they boarded. "Easy, Chopper," Kallus murmured, and stroked a hand across the droid's flattened dome. "At least one of them will be unconscious soon."

Pellaeon looked like he wanted to put up a fight, but a glance from his superior officer was all it took to gain his obedience. It was interesting behavior from a man with an obviously Corellian family name. They tended to be feisty men when cornered (sometimes more than Mandalorian men could be), especially the lower ranking officers, and to see one so easily pacified by a reassuring glance was rare indeed. He and Fenn exchanged a glance. The captain fell into sleep quickly, and Kallus checked his vitals. Once a human hit about his own age, there was a small danger to these. All of the Specters had been warned and would check their captives every four hours as ordered, he was sure. Pellaeon was fine, so he moved on to Thrawn.

"You could kill me with that," Thrawn warned, pulling away from him.

Kallus laughed outright at that. There a million other ways he'd fantasized about killing Thrawn: none of them were like this. "This isn't how I want to see you die, but if it happens, it happens." Kallus shrugged, still smiling, and raised the bottle to show him. "It's anephilus methlimine2. You should have had this before: during the last month at Royal Imperial, when you underwent your interrogation resistance training, they would have found every interrogation substance you're allergic to. ISB sometimes uses this. If it's not safe for you, we have others. If none of them are safe, there's always the concussion I owe you."

Fenn snorted softly at Kallus's threat from the pilot's chair. "Neither of us are going to let you stay conscious for the trip, so I'd pick quickly."

"The sedative is acceptable," Thrawn replied. "You will need to use twice the amount for me, as I have a faster metabolism."

Kallus was quick about it, and got him knocked out as well. He brought up a fresh change of clothes for them both while Rex chatted with Fenn, and food and water for four for three days, just in case, and they pulled away. Once in hyperspace they secured their prisoners more thoroughly, cuffing them to various things, and settled in with Chopper standing guard between the unconscious Imperials and them. 

It was going to be a very long day.  
\---

Neither of their prisoners came out of it until they were on their final approach to the hangar bay and had to wake them. Kallus was on the tail end of changing into his uniform to report for debriefing. They'd already docked with the _Ghost_ , and agreed that Yularen and Tschel would debark first. Fenn let Thrawn use the 'fresher and stood guard while Kallus brushed out his hair and made sure he had his final report ready to go. He had just set aside his datapad and was pulling on his uniform jacket and slotting his comlink into place when Thrawn sat back down.

"The colors strangely suit you," he said, pursing his lips as he looked Kallus over. "Though it is odd to see you clean shaven."

Kallus raised an eyebrow at him as he settled the collar in place and tucked the datapad into its pocket, right next to a particularly sharp knife he kept sheathed there as a backup. "My face is always cold now, but if I grow it back I have to endure the itchy stage of it."

Thrawn tilted his head slightly. "Do your people not grow facial hair?" Kallus asked.

"When we're much older than I am." 

He was young then. Kallus made a mental note of that. The comm beeped, and Kallus reached a hand behind him to answer it, not taking his eyes off Thrawn. "Kallus here."

"Lieutenant Andor, sir. We're ready for you."

"Thank you, lieutenant. Come aboard. Rau?"

The captain and Fenn joined them, Pellaeon looking a little worse for wear. Kallus saw Thrawn frown and stand to look him over. "Are you okay?" he murmured. The alien warlord tried to press close, looked more than a little annoyed when Fenn separated them

Pellaeon nodded, and tried for what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile. Thrawn definitely wasn't fooled. If anything, it made him a little more nervous. Oh, they could use that. "Nausea from the sedative. It happens every time. I'll be fine."

"If you're fine, then let's get moving. Follow Rau and Chopper aft, and our escort will be waiting to cover your heads," Kallus ordered, and picked up the small duffle that had the hard drive and the data cards in them he'd be handing off to the techs.

They were waiting: a massive escort, though Thrawn and Pellaeon didn't have much of a chance to see the size of it. "Who's conducting Thrawn's interrogation?" Kallus quietly asked the second he saw Draven.

"Not even a 'Hello, General, I missed you so much while we were forcibly parted?'" Draven greeted, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kallus gave him a dirty look that he supposed would have to suffice for all the rude gestures one wasn't allowed to give their superior officer even in the Rebel Alliance, and Draven stopped and raised an eyebrow. "I noticed an interesting interaction I think he or she ought to be made aware of."

"It's me," he said with a look on his face that suggested Kallus ought to have known better than to ask. "You can't possibly think I'm going to let anybody with less experience than you or I go in there with him. Tell me what you saw."

He explained as quickly as he could what he'd witnessed aboard the _Phantom II_ , Thrawn's weird thing about the drugs, and the oddity of his relationship with the captain. Draven looked thoughtful, and waved him off to debriefing. "Go on. I have a quick question for Vanto, and then I'll join you."

Kallus shrugged that off - he'd find out soon enough - and hurried to join Fenn where he was waiting up ahead. At least they could finally hold hands again. It had been too long since they'd had they simple pleasure of brushing any part of their skin together.

"The flight back was torture," Fenn murmured to him as they walked. "I couldn't even say anything sweet to you. Nothing dirty. Couldn't pull you into the 'fresher and let Chopper guard them."

"I'm going to be very sore in the morning, aren't I?" he teased his lover with a smile.

The hungry look he got in return made him shiver. "Promises, dear heart," Fenn murmured. "If you can walk with ease in the morning, I'll not have done my job as your lover tonight. I am going to take my time with you and draw it out as long as possible."

A small whimper escaped him as they stepped onto the turbolift that would take them to the ready room they'd been told to report to. "You're going to ruin me for anybody else." Kallus squeezed his hand, and turned to look up at him. "Is that your goal?"

Hunger faded from Fenn's eyes, replaced with the soft look that usually made his stomach flutter. This time it was just different enough to shake him to his core. "I'm pretty sure it is, Kent," he admitted softly, leaning in long enough to brush his lips over Kallus's in a brief, chaste kiss that made him shiver and pull away to lean against Fenn instead. The feeling was nearly overwhelming. What the hell was it? 

The turbolift doors opened onto a busy hallway, and he had to push the thought away as Fenn pulled him out into the crowd. He'd have to figure it out later.  
\---

Draven pulled Kallus aside after the debriefing, and he motioned for Fenn to go on ahead. His lover nodded and left with the others, and Kallus followed General Draven and a handful of Intentions officers down to the Intelligence Division. Their briefing room aboard ship was more highly secured than any other room, and that was where Draven herded them. When the room had been secured and comlinks turned off and lined up at the front of the room along with everyone's powered-down datapads, he began.

"All of you heard the information Captain Kallus gave in the debriefing concerning our new prisoners and the suggested security precautions we will be taking. What you did not hear was something he reported to me directly beforehand. Captain?"

Kallus stepped forward from where he'd positioned himself near the doorway, contemplating how best to explain this to his coworkers. Most of them were unfamiliar with these men, after all. Perhaps a familiar incident? "I have not forgotten the very strange - " he paused to consider his words, " - suggestion that was floating around that I admit to Vanto I was Thrawn's lover: though we all know I'd rather throw myself into the nearest star than touch him like that." Some of them shifted uncomfortably. Ah. Kallus made note of the guilty parties and carefully did not smirk.

"After taking the prisoners into our custody I witnessed two odd exchanges. The first was before I sedated them: only a glance from Thrawn was enough to subdue Captain Pellaeon. This is out of character for the captain. He was also ill when we woke him: it's a common side effect of the sedative, but it seemed to worry Thrawn." Kallus turned his gaze back to Draven.

Draven leaned back against the wall, hands folded in front of him. "I went to go talk to Vanto briefly before I joined you all upstairs. I asked him one question only, 'What do you know of a man named 'Pellaeon?' and he went pale and would not answer me."

That raised eyebrows in the room. "We'll start with that line of questioning in the morning. Interrogation schedules will be finished in a couple more hours. If you're not on guard duty, go eat something and get some rest. Dismissed. Captain Kallus, a word."

All he wanted was food and sex; instead, he grabbed his comlink and datapad, checked to see they were each the correct one, and followed Draven across the hall to his office. He was waved in the general direction of the more comfortable of the two chairs. "At ease, captain. Regarding CC-2224: do you know if his bio-chip was ever removed?"

The comfy chair was everyone's favorite chair: you weren't being briefed and you weren't in trouble if you were allowed to sit in the comfy chair. It even had padded armrests. How Draven had ended up with one in every office he occupied was beyond his staff. None of them cared to look too deeply into it, kind of fearing the answer in that vague way children passed around stories of monsters in closers and under beds. It was probably nothing sinister, but what if it wasn't? "I don't think it was, sir. From what little Captain Rex has said, the director could not be convinced to remove it in time, and turned on General Kenobi when Order 66 was given."

Draven furrowed his brow in that concerned way he had that made him look practically ancient. "If I have the chip removed, would Yularen be able to give me similar intel should something go wrong?"

Kallus shook his head. "I have no idea. I was an executive agent, but I was nowhere near earning my whites, sir. Yularen is ISB's navy liaison. As much as I hate to suggest it, you might want to wait to pull the chip unless he becomes uncooperative or it looks to be some kind of homing beacon."

A sigh escaped his superior's lips and he leaned back. "I should have medical take a look at it, if nothing else. It'll ease minds." He reached over and hit the button to call down to medical. Kallus listened politely as words were exchanged with the CMO, and then Draven signed off. "I know you're eager to return to Rau, but would you mind staying for this?"

He did mind. A lot. But Draven had that look in his eye that said it was going to become an order if he didn't do it voluntarily. Kallus groaned, and pulled out his comlink. "Kent? What's keeping you?" That voice was everything he wanted right now.

"His first name is 'General' and he's sitting across from me. Hopefully this won't take too long. Grab us both some food and I'll let you know when I'm on my way up."

Fenn laughed and agreed, and Kallus signed off. If the medics took too long he was going to be the worst patient they'd ever had the next time he ended up trapped in sickbay over some stupid injury or a mandatory vaccination or whatever. "You're not allowed to kill the medics if they're slow," Draven said, cutting into his thoughts.

"That is absolutely not the sort of revenge I was planning," Kallus replied, feigning offense despite the small grin threatening to break out on his face. 

"What sort of revenge were you planning?"

"So you can tell them my plan?" A snort escaped him and he crossed his arms over his chest. "No, sir. My revenge plan is for me alone to know and the hapless medics to find out when the time is right."

Draven chuckled quietly, and changed the subject. "What can we expect from Thrawn?"

"Unrelenting questions about me, demands to look at art. I wouldn't let anybody even speak to him, to be frank," Kallus said, the amusement fading entirely from his features. A haunted look replaced them, and he stared over Draven's shoulder, unaware of how much older the seriousness on his face made him look. "Thrawn would have made a damn good psychologist. His skill at reading people is unmatched. If we could put him in a cell where he could see Pellaeon but not hear anything, that would be for the best. Body language, micro-expressions, body temperature, the colors your eyes are drawn toward, how long you take to answer a question, word choice, accent, left-handed or right-handed, the smallest, stupidest _kriffing things_ are little clues he can put together and draw conclusions from. 

"Put him in a box and launch him into the sun, and we can expect to be safe." Kallus shifted his eyes back to Draven, and watched the other man study him. 

"You're shaking," the general said quietly.

Kallus didn't move or look away. What would be the point in denying the tremble? Draven had found him at the bottom of a bottle more than once that first week on Yavin IV after debriefings. More than anyone else besides Zeb, Draven knew what Thrawn had done to him because he'd handled that part of the debriefing. It had taken most of a week to get through that because Kallus kept having to stop. The general had to see the haunted look in his eyes, the flashbacks, deal with the nervous pacing when Kallus did manage to get started talking about it. Only allowing Zeb in the room for the last three days had gotten him through the battle and the rest of his time as a Fulcrum agent.

"I should imagine you'd expect that," Kallus finally said. "It was tolerable while he was unconscious and drugged and I had the option to space him if he didn't behave."

Draven nodded as though he'd expected that answer. "You no longer have that control."

"No, I don't," Kallus acknowledged quietly. "Now there are too many variables and he'll come for me and family if he can, right after he sends our coordinates to his Fleet and finds the intel for the rest of it and all our bases. Bringing Palpatine's pet warlord back here alive was a damn stupid decision, and whoever had the final say in this ought to be beaten soundly upside the head until enough of their brain cells rub together to spark some sentient life in there."

"I'll pass the message on," Draven said. "And remind them of the dangers involved here. I'm sure they'll want to speak to him at some point."

Kallus only had to raise one eyebrow to convey his opinion on how awful that particular idea was. "My thoughts exactly," the general replied, and his comm buzzed on the desk.

"Draven," he acknowledged. 

"Medical is here." 

Draven stood. "Send them in. Well, Captain. Let's go see what's happening with this bio-chip."  
\---

What was happening was a mess. Rex had been called down to the section, which meant the rest of their small family was waiting outside Intelligence and cluttering up the small corridor. Questioning hadn't gone well. Draven had gone in first, and Kallus had done what he could to prep Rex down the hall before bringing him in. That had stunned the director into silence for a good three minutes. Rex had let him look, stared him down with pain in his eyes, and couldn't do it. He shook his head and turned on his heel, stepping out the door. 

Kallus and Draven exchanged a glance and a series of quick hand signals: their prisoner wasn't even watching, he was too busy staring out the door where Rex had been. Draven went into the hall to check on him and get medical, and Kallus stayed behind, propping up the wall with his arms calmly folded over his abdomen and his right foot pressed flat to the durasteel behind him. He didn't give the director any time to catch his thoughts: this man had been a source of advice, comfort, and fear for most of his adult life. Kallus had to push the advantage while he had it. 

"You don't have to go back to Empire," he said, letting his eyes linger on the door as well. The director - Cody - was perfectly visible in his periphery. "Despite everything that happened between you, he'd probably take you back with that chip out of your head if you joined us."

Dark eyes flicked his way for a moment. "Not that you'll get a choice about the bio-chip. It's been decided for you, for the safety of our own people. You can have Rex in the room for the removal if you want."

"When is that going to happen, traitor?" he asked, finally turning to Kallus. His voice was softer than Kallus had ever heard it, and it had a slight tremble. Seeing Rex had shaken him pretty badly.

Kallus flashed him a charming smile for the pure joy of pissing the man off a little more. "In a few minutes. Medical just got up here, and the surgical room is being prepped. We're going to give you the anesthesia in here, and then take you to sickbay when it's kicked in fully."

"I suppose I won't get the chance to kill you first. Others will try. All of COMPNOR is after you now, boy."

"Others have been trying to kill me since Yularen lured me off the Engineering tract and I graduated from the ISB career path." Kallus rolled his eyes. "You taught me how to take care of myself, director, and gave me the skills to be self-sufficient and safe on the run. I'll use every skill you gave me to tear your precious Empire to shreds until my dying breath."

Cody snorted. "You could have used our teachings for the greater good. You had been using them for the greater good. What happened to standing up for what you believe in, Kentigern?"

It would have felt like a scolding from his father six months ago: the higher ranking ISB officers and agents had certainly been more like parents to him than his own had for the last twenty-eight years. Now he laughed softly. "I'm still doing those things: my views on right and wrong shifted, just like yours did when Order 66 came down. I've never stopped doing what I was taught."

The medical team and their escort entered. "You've turned out to be our greatest disappointment," Cody said as the medical team started the IV line. 

Kallus studied his face and stood as the anesthesiologist started adding liquids. "No," he said with a small smile. "I've turned out to be your greatest embarrassment."  
\---

Draven didn't make him go down to medical, for which he was more than grateful. Fenn was waiting with the others who were going with Rex, and took one look at him before declaring along with Hera that Kallus was going to his quarters for food and rest. He didn't fight them on it, and allowed his lover to drag him off after getting assurances that they would comm them if anything happened.

He was emotionally drained now, and Fenn clearly sensed it. The hand on the middle of his back was supportive and not sensual, meant to guide instead of excite. Food was waiting in their quarters for him, and though it was cold Kallus was happy enough to have something to eat that he didn't mind. Fenn busied himself with other things, and Kallus focused on food. When he had eaten, Fenn dragged him off to the 'fresher to shower.

They exchanged sweet kisses, cleaned each other, and made their way back to the main room to prepare for bed. Fenn locked the door and grabbed the lube while Kallus checked for any messages: nothing yet. He stretched out on the bed and pulled Fenn on top of him when he joined Kallus. These kisses were far more unhurried now, the sign of a long night to come.

"I was so worried," Fenn murmured after they had been kissing for a while and their bodies had started rocking against each other of their own accord. "You held yourself together so well, dear heart." 

"Don't," Kallus breathed, and pulled him into a much deeper kiss. He didn't want to think about what could have happened right now, didn't want to talk about the mission at all, and didn't want to think about what was waiting to strike a few decks below them. The what-ifs were something he couldn't handle tonight. "Just let me feel you, Fenn." 

"Yes, dear heart," Fenn murmured obligingly. His kisses turned hungrier, more desperate to taste as his hands grew bolder. Eventually he couldn't resist Kallus's neck any longer and Kallus had to tilt his head to accommodate his insistent lover. One hand fisted in Fenn's hair to guide his mouth and the tickle of his beard over his sensitive skin, the other traced over the contours of the older man's muscled back and shoulders. Kallus had the lines of him memorized but couldn't resist touching them anyway. His mouth moved over every bit of skin he could reach, marking Fenn in the same way he was being marked.

He'd never left a bite mark or love mark on Fenn before, but now that there was a threat a few decks below that could result in losing him, Kallus was desperate to brand the man as his. Something in him drove him to it, something stronger than worry, than fear, stronger even than affection, this thing he still couldn't name. A soft sound escaped him - the quiet gasp of Fenn's name, and an answering moan of his own from his lover - and Kallus couldn't wait any longer. He wasn't completely hard yet, but that would change soon enough.

"I need you inside me," he panted desperately, "please. I have to feel you _right now_."

Fenn pulled away only enough to grab the lube, shifting onto his side so Kallus was still partially shielded by his body. "Yes, dear heart," he murmured in response, and kissed him again. Less than a minute later two cold fingers were pressing into him, making sure he was still relaxed enough from the brief love-making they'd managed aboard the _Ghost_ on their way to Vendaxa. He needed a little work, but Kallus was still very much used to a much larger intrusion. 

Two fingers rapidly became "not enough", and the same with three. He was fidgeting and begging against his lover from the start, soft whimpers falling from his lips as he encouraged and asked for more and more. Fenn gave up on proper preparation quickly, and slicked himself up to take Kallus. Having his lover inside him after so long apart silenced his whimpers and stilled his body, save for the arch of his back and the tightening of his hands on Fenn's shoulders as he was finally taken after waiting patiently for so long.

Neither of them were particularly anxious to move now that they were finally joined as one again. Fenn pressed their foreheads together and stole a chaste kiss. "Breathe with me, dear heart," he whispered, and stroked a hand down his flank. "Match your breaths to mine, Kent. Inhale with me, and exhale with me. Focus on that, and clear your mind of worries."

He could do that. With his lover inside him and on top of him, he felt safe and protected, whole and alive. "Yes, darling," he murmured back, and stole a kiss of his own. Kallus let his hands roam as he focused on breathing with Fenn: the need to touch was too great to ignore, and the pleasure it brought to his lover was obvious. Even though he wasn't rocking his hips, Fenn was moving into Kallus's hands in little ways. His body arched into the palms of Kallus's hands where it could, shoulders pressing back, head tilting into the lightest of touches, Fenn shifting his flank to feel his hands more firmly. 

When their breathing was in sync and Kallus was ready for Fenn to move - when the older man was chasing his touch like a drug and leaning into every movement of his palms and fingertips - Kallus stroked his hands down to grip his lover's firm, full buttocks. It drew Fenn out of him a little, and he slid his hands up higher to shift the man back inside him. Fenn's mouth found his neck, marked him again as Kallus gasped, then found their breathing rhythm again. He moved his hands back down, encouraging Fenn to move, guiding him into a slow pace that kept him seated deeply before drawing his hands back up to run through Fenn's hair. 

They kissed again, leisurely despite the passion behind the meeting of lips and tongues, as though both were trying to tell the other something they couldn't get out in words yet. No words were spoken between them at all until they were close enough to orgasm that breathing in tandem was impossible and Kallus couldn't quite think straight because Fenn was growling low in Mando'a in his ear while he fucked into him in long, hard strokes.

"Gar ner, baretr kar'ta.3 Ni dabay va rala eo a gaan bat gar.4 Val dabay va hiibir gar norac.5"

A moan escaped him. _Gar ner,_ he knew translated into, "You're mine." The rest of it was beyond him, but it was hot to hear Fenn speaking his native tongue in bed. Kallus tightened his legs against Fenn's sides to urge him on, and whispered his lover's name into his ear. "I'm yours," he assured him as he slid a hand into his damp hair, "and you're mine."

Fenn groaned and wrapped a hand around Kallus cock. "Yes," Fenn gasped, losing his rhythm a little. "I belong to you, baretr kar'ta. Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar.6"

The tone of his voice made the words sound like something utterly sacred. Kallus shivered beneath him and Fenn moved inside him at a desperate pace, applied pressure to the frenulum with his thumb, and nipped at Kallus ear. "Cum for me, Kent," he gasped, sounding anguished. "I'm so close, please."

Kallus came as soon as Fenn's thumb slid over the slit, moaning his name and tightening his body around his lover. Fenn was frantic, more so than he'd been all night, thrusting without rhythm as his chased his orgasm and spilled inside his lover. It would leave a mess, but neither of them cared: Kallus enjoyed the mess, liked the way the older man would smear it on his skin afterward to rub the scent of it into him. Like the love bites and bruises that Fenn had become obsessed with leaving on him since they had left Denon and he could finally get away with covering Kallus in them, this was another sign of possession, another favorite way he could brand his lover - even if it was only while they were in the confines of their own quarters.

They rested together afterward, kissing and touching lazily but otherwise unwilling to move. Fenn murmured to him in Mando'a and Kallus let him. That singular phrase kept returning, and he committed it to memory: "Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar, baretr kar'ta."

When morning came, he would have to ask Rex to translate it for him.  
\---

He checked the interrogation schedule before they cleaned up and went to sleep and was pleased to find out that he was only responsible for checking on Cody for a couple of days. Draven had apparently decided to let the higher ranking officers cool their heels while the data the Specters brought back was analyzed. Thrawn had been moved to isolation and medics had been sent to check on Pellaeon, so he supposed that was good. Kallus spent the morning hours until Fenn woke up reviewing the orders he'd been given - there was a request for proper dossiers on their prisoners - and the stated goals for the interrogations.

Once his lover started stirring a little Kallus set the datapad aside to charge and rolled over to nuzzle into him. Fenn's back was to him, but soft kisses on his shoulders and the full press of his naked body to the other man's seemed to get his attention. It probably helped that Kallus's hard cock was pressed right to the seam of him. He wondered if he could ever convince Fenn to let him top. Had the other man ever even considered it? 

Asking for it right now was out of the question, of course, as Kallus had things to attend to and Fenn likely had new pilots to assess by now.7 They hadn't the time, but maybe he could find a way to suggest that he would very much like to take his lover as well from time to time. He did miss topping a little, though he certainly had no complaints about how good Fenn felt inside him.

Kallus draped an arm over his waist and Fenn sleepily grabbed his hand, pulled it to his lips, and kissed his knuckles. Laughing quietly at the blatant refusal to wake up, Kallus settled against him and kissed the back of his neck. "Fenn," he said softly, "it's nearly 1145 hours."

Soft, warm skin pressed back against his cock, and he bit down on a moan. Fenn held his hand tighter. Kallus sighed.

"Darling, it's time to get up," he tried.

The response he mumbled sounded suspiciously like, "Already up." Fenn ground his hips back against Kallus, and he couldn't help but press forward. "Fuck my thighs."

Kallus moaned into the back of Fenn's neck. It was close enough to what he'd been thinking about that he felt his cock twitch. "Hand me the lube," he relented, wondering if this was some half-asleep fantasy of Fenn's but - no. The man was surprisingly awake and lucid when he released Kallus's hand to rummage for the lube. Heat was in his eyes when he turned his head as he passed it to Kallus. 

Now he badly wished he had time to discuss the subject of topping Fenn. Kallus slicked himself and lifted Fenn's left leg enough that he could slide his cock along the split of his ass and the gap of his thighs. Fenn moaned and tightened his thighs: Kallus's cock brushed right over his entrance. His left hand had plenty of lube on it still, and he reached around to wrap it around Fenn. 

"I badly wish I could take more time with you right now," he murmured into Fenn's ear as he set a faster pace than he wanted. It wasn't quite what he wanted, but this was hot. Fenn was arching into his touch and sliding back along his cock. Kallus was already trembling slightly as he struggled to hold back a little longer, just a little longer.

"Hell, Kent," Fenn breathed, and seemed unable to say much more than that. He wrapped his hand over Kallus's to guide the strokes.

"I'm not even fucking you and you're trying to grind down on my cock," Kallus panted. A small whimper escaped Fenn and he shivered against the older man at the sound. "Do you know how hot it is to think you might want me like that?"

Fenn gasped, moaned, and encouraged Kallus's hand to speed up. His hips moved faster as well, gliding between Fenn's legs. "I want you in any and every way I can have you," the Mandalorian replied cryptically, and ground down again. " _Fuck_ , Kent, I'm so close already."

So was Kallus. He was right on the edge of his orgasm but he couldn't quite get to it. "What are you thinking of, darling?"

"Letting you fuck me," Fenn moaned. "Ordering you to do it, while I grab your hair and ride you."

That was enough. Kallus couldn't hold back at all. He came with a sharp gasp, spilling all over Fenn's thighs and balls, his own cock dragging through the mess and drawing it up along his entrance and buttocks. Fenn followed him immediately, covering their hands and his chest. They rested together, panting and sated, until Kallus's datapad vibrated and he groaned.

"Duty calls," Fenn said cheerfully, sounding much more awake now.

"I'd best cleanup before I report for duty," Kallus commented. "Alone." Fenn pretended to sulk, but he nodded, and sat up to let his lover out of bed. Kallus glanced at the datapad to see what the alert was: another reminder that he needed to go to medical. 

He kissed Fenn's cheek. "Think on what you were fantasizing about," he suggested as he stood and stretched. "I'll likely need to be taken out of my head later."

Fenn shivered. "You don't mind it then - trying that?" Despite Kallus pointing out that they should probably shower separately (statistically, it was more likely they'd end up having sex again if they did), Fenn followed Kallus into the shower anyway with a grin. He couldn't quite fault the man for that - he was a mess right now. 

"Why would I ever mind fucking you in return?" he asked, lowering his voice so Fenn could clearly hear how hungry for sex the thought made him.

"Just making sure," his lover said, then frowned. "We've never discussed it."

Kallus kissed his forehead and helped Fenn get his back. "I found it interesting that you initiated it when you did: I had been thinking about it this morning before you woke up. About bringing the subject up to you."

"Of you taking me?" Fenn asked, twisting in his arms to look at Kallus. His eyes were always very open with the people he cared about. Right now he was clearly analyzing Kallus, perhaps surprised they'd been that in sync with each other. It looked like something was occurring to him that he'd not thought of before.

"Yes," Kallus said quietly. He knew better than to lie to this man, had tried it the one time, and would not do it again.

Fenn lowered his gaze, lapsing into thoughtful silence, and was quiet the rest of the time spent getting ready for the day, though he was more demonstrative with his touches and kisses. Whatever it was, it had put Fenn in a thoughtful mood and Kallus had no doubt that he would find out about it later. Right now, however, they each had a job to do. A long, tender kiss was traded at the door, and Fenn whispered those same words to him again, using a reverent tone Kallus had never even heard him use when he recited the Daily Remembrance for the Dead every night before they slept.8

"Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar, baretr kar'ta."

He needed to see Rex.  
\---

He reported - somewhat bashfully - to General Draven, late for his shift, and was very pleased to find out he would receive no formal punishment this time so long as the hickey behind his ear was successfully hidden the next time they crossed paths. Kallus tracked down Sabine, asked for her assistance, and endured her teasing before heading to medical to do his job. 

As he'd hoped Rex was there as well, and the old man waved him right into a seat at Cody's bedside. The other clone was drifting in and out. Seeing someone Kallus had always known as severe and mostly terrifying looking rather weak and frail was strange, but he plowed ahead with what he came to do. He apologized for separating them on the journey back, and Rex shook his head. The old clone had seen the wisdom in it. They discussed Cody's condition, if he'd said anything at all while awake or asleep, and Kallus noted Rex's observations. 

"May I ask you a personal question - unrelated to this - and ask you to keep it between us?" Kallus flicked off the recorder on the datapad. 

Rex studied him, surprised by the switch from business to personal. "Did something happen with - ?" he asked, concern all over his features. Kallus was glad Rex stopped himself from saying Fenn's name. Until they knew how Cody was doing and if his true allegiance was still to the Empire, it was best not to name names.

It was touching. Cody, a man he'd been looking for - hoping for - for nearly twenty years had suddenly returned, in poor shape, and Rex had a big enough heart to still worry about everyone else. Kallus gave him a small smile. "Not anything awful. I'm not fluent in Mando'a, and he kept saying something last night while we were - " Kallus blushed. It was like talking to a parent about his sex like.

That the old clone chuckled and smirked at him didn't help. "Ah, I understand. Go on then."

"And he said it again before I reported for duty, but he said it like it was the most important thing he's ever said in his life." Kallus looked at his hands. Fenn had said it like _Kallus_ was the most important thing in his life. "Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar, baretr kar'ta."

Rex's eyes widened, and then softened. A gentle smile lit up his face. "You might want to ask him to tell you that." 

Kallus raised an eyebrow at him. "He's a stubborn old git, and if he doesn't want to tell me what it is yet, he won't."

It got Rex to laugh softly, and Cody stirred on the bed, beckoned him closer. Curious, but not stupid enough to go over there armed, Kallus set his datapad, comlink, vibroblade, and blaster aside - out of reach - and sat on the side of the bed. "Say the phrase again, Kent," he requested, voice quiet and scratchy. That would be from the combo of the anesthesia and the pain killers. They left one's voice sounding raw sometimes when the patient was trying to shake off the fuzzy feeling.

"Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar, baretr kar'ta."

Cody opened his eyes and glared at him a little, though it was hard to be intimidated by a man with one drooping eyes and a head in bandages. "Who's calling you 'dear heart?' I want to meet him," he grumbled, shifting a hand as though to grip the rail. Kallus gently took it and put it back on his chest, resting both of his over Cody's.

"I'm afraid that's not possible right now," he explained gently. "You're in sickbay, and you're allowed very few visitors."

"Rex is allowed," he slurred.

Rex stepped closer and rested a firm hand on Cody's forearm. "I'm your next of kin, vod9."

"And I'm the Intelligence Officer in charge of your questioning," Kallus added, "I also took you prisoner, and I've known you most of my life."  
Cody sulked, but seemed close to falling asleep again. "But I can't meet the person that loves you?"

Kallus's eyes widened slightly, but he forced himself to hold it together. "Not right now," Rex soothed him, stepping in while Kallus's brain started processing that bombshell. "If you were to switch sides and stay with us, I know you'd approve of him."

"Go back to sleep, sir," Kallus said, regaining control of his face at last. "Heal. We can talk more later."

He watched the monitor beside the bed, and when the lines showed that the old man was asleep again he pulled Rex into a corner of the room and lowered his voice. "Translate it, Rex, _please_ " he begged.

"Kal - "

Kallus put on his best, ' _I am begging you_ ' face, and softened his voice some more. "Rex, I need to know what it means before I discuss it with him. Please, give me that equal footing."

"'I love you, dear heart,'" Rex folded after a moment. He sighed and rested a hand on Kallus's shoulder. "That's what it means. He's gone and fallen for you."

"Oh." Kallus said, with the tone of a man who was surprised having an AT-AT dropped on his head hadn't killed him.

Rex watched him carefully and tightened his grip a little. "You okay?"

Was he? It wasn't what he expected the words to mean, but given the way Fenn had been looking at him when he said them, how he said them, the way sex with Fenn hadn't been _just sex_ last night or for a while now, he shouldn't have been shocked. "I have to do some work," he replied flatly, instead of answering the question, so he brushed by Rex to collect his things. "Thank you for translating that."

Somehow he ended up in the Intelligence Division offices with his work nearly done and evening meal fast approaching. A different hand on his shoulder - Cassian Andor's - shook him out of his stupor and he blinked up at the man. "Kanan Jarrus is waiting outside to speak with you," he said, and looked Kallus over. "You should probably eat something afterward as well. It has been a rough week for you. Go on."

He couldn't argue with that, and Kanan would go to Draven if Kallus made him wait - and then Draven would bitch out Kallus because Kanan interrupted him - and so he thanked the lieutenant and left. 

"Hey," Kanan greeted him as Kallus signed out of the division and met him in the corridor. "You doing okay?"

Kallus glanced up at him, trying to discern from just his mouth if Rex had told him anything. That mask had its disadvantages. "Somewhat," he answered, tone still flat, brain still trying to process the information Rex had given him. Kanan walked close at his side, enough that he didn't need to speak loud enough for passing comrades to hear and waited. "To be honest, I was hoping I might get a chance to talk to someone who can be discreet. I've been experiencing a feeling I don't understand and I need some help putting a name to it."

"I had a feeling it was something like that. You've been feeling a little off for a while." It felt like Kanan was watching him behind the mask, even if Kallus knew he wasn't able to see in the same way he could. "Describe it to me."

Haltingly, Kallus explained in a low voice, first describing the look on Fenn's face: the way his eyes became softer, his tone of voice, even the way his eyebrows lifted, even how the touches they exchanged were more gentle. Then Kallus described the way that the look made him feel: the fluttery feeling in his stomach, how narrowed down his world became, the stupid smile it brought to his face after the fact, the way it felt like he was walking on clouds or something. He described the incident in the turbolift last night, the way Fenn had stolen his breath with a look. 

It was difficult to put it into words. Kanan had him focus on how it felt - how he felt about Fenn - while they walked, while Kanan focused on him. 

When the Jedi's mind pulled away from him, the man looked as though he'd been stupefied. He stopped in the corridor and tugged Kallus off into an empty ready room. Though blind, Kallus certainly felt as though Kanan was staring right at him. "Love," he breathed, after a moment. "Kallus. You're _in love_."

Oh, _hell_. That couldn't possibly be good, could it? Love was weakness. Loving someone was a good way for everyone to get hurt. "Kanan, I've never been in love. I don't even know what love feels like." But he knew what it felt like to have Fenn's love directed right at him, how it stole his breath right out of his lungs, bowled him over and lifted him up all at once.

Kanan leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you do. You're feeling it right now. I think you've been feeling it for him for a while."

" _Karabast,_ " Kallus muttered with feeling, because Kanan was right. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Kanan frowned.

"Being right." Was it petulant? Yes. Did Kallus care if he sounded a little bit like a small, irritated child? No, not particularly. 

Kanan chuckled softly, and patted his shoulder. "Look, you don't have to tell him yet, though I think he already knows how he feels and how you feel. He's probably waiting for you to figure it out and get up the balls to say it. It feels like one of those 'love at first sight' clichés, except you two haven't been giving each other things like flowers and expensive gifts."

"No, we just fill the spy trope and go on long spying trips to have sex on the Alliance's credits," Kallus countered. It was still cliché: the adorable fake marriage trope all the young girls loved. They were still wearing the wedding bands from said spying trip. Fenn was refusing to give up his beard, though the dye was gone from it and his hair at last.

"Wish they'd let me do that," Kanan muttered. "You two got to have all the fun. I got to listen Ezra whine over our training bond about how he couldn't even beat off."

Kallus made a face: what an awful thought. "Please tell me you were especially rough on him during training those few days we were there."

Kanan made a face. "There was no way I was letting him get away with whining about that. I kept him exhausted and threatened to take away water showers."

"You should have," Kallus muttered, horrified. Ezra and sex were two things that didn't belong anywhere near each other. Ever. Kanan snickered.

"I know, Kallus, I know. But he's got to grow up sometime. Move out permanently onto his own ship and not keep coming home to do laundry once every few days when I think I'm about to get lucky."

The taller man snorted. "Lock your doors, Kanan. Change your codes."

"And pray none of you are malicious enough to give them to the kids when you know we badly need privacy? Yeah, no thanks. You'd all do it." Kallus laughed and conceded the point. "Feeling better?"

"A little," Kallus admitted, but leaned back against the wall and ran a hand through his hair. "He did say 'I love you,' this morning, in Mando'a. Rex translated it for me when I went to check on the Director." Fenn had said it a heck of a lot last night as well.

Kanan rested his hand on Kallus's shoulder again. "It takes a really special warrior to earn the heart of a Mando. How much do you know about their culture when it comes to that sort of thing?"

He blew out a breath. "Admittedly, not much."

"Okay." Kanan appeared to be thinking that over. "Rau's back from the training flight he took out, so go and get dinner with him. Don't say anything about earlier, or about this. I'm going to go and chat with Rex and Sabine."

"I - Okay?" Kallus agreed.

It was difficult to do anything else when Kanan was already out the door.

Whatever the hell was going on, he either wasn't going to like it, or it was going to be ridiculously entertaining. Kallus and Fenn had been talking about Fenn's new trainees in the mess when Sabine and a gaggle - Kallus wasn't sure how else to quantify them - of Mandos had appeared at their table and surrounded Fenn mid-bite. After being assured they only needed to borrow him for a little while for a talk about, "Mando'ade stuff, it'll be fine, Kallus, _no one will get hurt_ , I promise," he decided to finish his food and go down and check on Rex and Cody again before hiding from his crazy family for the rest of the night.

That was a bad idea too.

Cody was awake now, mostly lucid, sitting up, and in the middle of an argument with Rex when Kallus poked his head in. "I can come back," he offered, when they stopped fighting immediately to look at him.

"That will not be necessary, Kent," the ISB Director said, voice just as commanding as it had been before Kallus had switched sides. "Please find a nurse and then join us."

Behind him, the argument continued with " _Are you out of your kriffing mind, Cody?_ " and, " _Do you agree with me or not, riduur_? 10"

Kallus took his time bringing a nurse back with him. Apparently the argument had been going on for the last hour and had started with Knight Jarrus wanting to speak to Captain Rex privately in one of the consultation rooms. Great. Why couldn't the galaxy keep its dirty fingers out of his love life? The argument had stopped by the time they returned, and the two old men were back to silently glaring at each other. The nurse was needed for more painkillers and crushed ice only, and she couldn't flee the room fast enough. 

"Sit," Cody said, studying him carefully. 

Refusing to be cowed by him, Kallus settled leisurely next to Rex, and studied him in return. "You're being pursued by a Mando'ade?" he asked.

Kallus turned to look at Rex, giving him a dirty look. "It wasn't me. He didn't remember anything when he woke up, and heard some of the nurses gossiping a bit ago after Kanan left."

"I see. Excuse me." Kallus hid his lividity, stood, closed the door politely behind him, and rounded up the nurses on duty for a cold and quiet dressing down regarding what could and could not be discussed near the prisoner, and made it quite clear that those orders included ship's scuttlebutt. If they disagreed, they could file a report with General Draven, but he unless he was given the names of those guilty of the gossip immediately, they would all be reported to the ship's CMO for it.

Three of them broke down immediately, and he questioned them in front of the others only long enough to determine their guilt before he dismissed the others and marched the nurses right to the CMO so they could get yelled at again.

He returned five minutes and thirteen seconds later, and let the clones see the ashen faces of two nurses pass by before he closed the door. "How many do you think will try to lodge a complaint with the general this time?" Rex asked, amusement sparking a twinkle in his eyes.

Kallus snorted. "Considering the CMO himself is delivering one hell of a dressing down to the guilty parties on top of the one I gave them? None of them will dare." His eyes drifted back to Cody. "How are you feeling?"

"It's only a headache."

Rex looked him over. "He's got a pounding headache - it may be a migraine still, and he's a little droopy on the left side, but that's clearing up. The eyesight problems aren't. Doc says he'll be in here at least another week."

"Rex."

"Don't you 'Rex' me - "

"Can you two please wait to argue until after I leave?" Kallus requested politely.

They shifted and looked away from each other, but at least they didn't start arguing again. "Are you being pursued by a Mando?" Cody asked again after a moment.

"Yes," Kallus answered with a sigh. He'd be interrogating the man anyway, might as try to rebuild the bond, to build back some of the trust.

Cody gave a small grunt of approval. "How long?"

"About seven weeks now."

Rex glanced back and forth between them, watching them with an uncomfortable look on his face. Kallus imagined he'd have to talk to Rex later about why he knew Cody so well. The 'Why Didn't You Tell Me' trope of a conversation his mother had always so loved in her shows would have to happen. He'd always hated them, had never imagined he'd be in the middle of one.

Then again, if he had to talk to Lyste, he supposed it would happen twice.

"Is he honorable? Does he provide for you and treat you well?" 

"I wouldn't tolerate anything less," Kallus replied, mildly affronted.

Rex and Cody exchanged a glance. "There's a lot you don't know about Mando customs, Kal," Rex said. "Given what he said to you earlier and how well things have been going, I think it's time you were sat down and instructed in our ways. Y'know, adopted into the fold. Traditions are typically handed down from parent to child, and the Mandalorians that came to Kamino and taught us did so in that way."

Fenn had been one of those Mandalorians. Oh. 

"Cody is high as a kriffing solar flare right now but he suggested that since your parents disowned you for going to the Academy, we ought to adopt you and teach you since we never did have kids of our own. Didn't quite fill that part of the wedding vows." Rex scratched his head and looked away. 

Kallus just sat there and stared at them both for a very long time. 

He blinked once, opened his mouth to speak, shook his head, and decided to stare at his boots instead. It had been a very long day, and a lot of weird things had happened. The day before that had been even worse because he'd spent each second of it with every nerve-ending on edge, terrified that Thrawn was going to wake up and find some way to take every good thing in his life away from him. Kallus was still on edge, the fear that Thrawn was going to kill Fenn slowly and make him watch - or worse, make him do it - lingering right on the edge of his conscious mind. 

Then he'd found out that Fenn was scared of losing him as well, that Fenn _loved him_. Kanan had helped him put a name to the feeling and _stars_ but Kallus had no idea he was even capable of loving someone back. How was he supposed to handle all of that plus every Mandalorian on the ship suddenly losing their mind because Kanan was more gossip girl than Jedi Knight sometimes?

And this?

Parents? That thing he'd only just finished mourning? Surely it wasn't possible to replace parents like that, especially when both of them would die prematurely, and one of them was your former boss - and likely still evil - and hadn't yet figured out where they stood with each other?

"Fenn?" Cody asked. "Fenn Rau?"

 _Kriffing hell_. "I said all that aloud?" Rex was behind him, hands resting on his shoulders.

Rex patted his shoulders. "You sound a little stressed."

"More importantly, what's this about mourning your parents? They're both still alive." Cody pressed, eyes narrowed. 

Cody was the Director of the ISB. Surely he knew what Yularen and Thrawn had been up to. Kallus lifted his head, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't play games with me. I'm perfectly aware they've been notified I died in the field."

"I issued no orders to notify your family of such an occurrence," Cody insisted. Kallus turned his head to look at Rex. 

Rex had eyes only for Cody. They were narrowed, intense, his whole face tight like his hands on Kallus's shoulders. "I heard it myself over surveillance from his own mother, vod. Thrawn presided over his funeral. They were notified shortly after the Battle of Atollon when your people couldn't recapture him."

Cody fell silent, looked angry, and wasn't that interesting? He was going to have to report that tonight. "Are you seeing Fenn Rau?"

Kallus nodded once, thrown by the change of subject. 

"I stand by my original decision." 

Rex's hands had relaxed, now they tightened again on Kallus's shoulders. "You can make that decision when you're not high, Codes. You couldn't even legally rent a holovid right now."

"Don't I get a say in anything?" Kallus muttered. "Look, I appreciate it, I do, but I'm sure you can both understand my point of view. I can't let you adopt me right now because as soon as you're no longer high you'll be interrogated. That's a clear conflict of interest. Afterwards, perhaps, depending on what you decide to do it can be discussed."

Silence fell over them, and Cody raised both his hands in surrender. 

Finally. Kallus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "For now, please: what do I need to know before I return to him tonight? Can't we start there? A Jedi ambushed me after work and complicated my life."

They both sighed, and Cody muttered something unkind about meddling Jedi, but Rex released his shoulders and sank back down into his own chair. "Okay. Here's what you need to know."  
\---

Kallus dragged himself back up to his quarters feeling exhausted, but more prepared. He had answers to questions he hadn't ever gotten the nerve to ask Fenn. Worries about children were back in the front of his mind. If this continued along the inevitable path it seemed Fenn would want them. It was part of the marriage vows and it sounded as though that's what Fenn was guiding him toward.

_"You're going to ruin me for anybody else." Kallus had squeezed his hand, and turned to look up at him. "Is that your goal?"_

_Hunger had faded from Fenn's eyes to be replaced with the soft look that usually made his stomach flutter. This time it had been just different enough to shake him to his core. "I'm pretty sure it is, Kent."_

Kanan had told him that Kallus was in love. Nothing else made sense.

_Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar, baretr kar'ta._

_We are family._

" _Hell_ ," Kallus breathed, and keyed in the unlock code to their quarters. 

Fenn wasn't back yet, which gave him some time to prepare. He showered quickly, changed into something lose he could sleep in, and sat down on the bed. They were going to have to talk tonight, before they could do anything else. Kallus picked up the datapad and read the translation of the wedding vows again:

_We are one when together,_  
_We are one when parted._  
_We share all._  
_We will raise warriors._ 11

His mind drifted back to a conversation they'd had before the assignment to Vendaxa and Iktotchon had been given to them. Fenn was good at knocking sense into his head, better even than Zeb was, most of the time.

_"There's no logical way you could possibly be a monster."_

_"I suppose all that needs said right now is that I do not mind the idea of having children one day."_

It was in the kriffing marriage vows. According to Rex, Mandalorians tended to adopt with frequency: biological children were not required. Mandalorians would even bring adults into their clans if said adults had lost their own, or were suitable adults that needed shelter, or who became allies. Mandalorian law required only a single phrase in Mando'a to be spoken to make the adoption legal. The same attitude applied to marriage: the spoken vows made the marriage legal, because the warrior culture took oaths _very seriously_. Divorce was that simple a process as well.

It was time to revisit their relationship again, Kallus thought. Time to sit down together, and make sure they were on the same page and wanted the same things before he let this go any farther than it had. If this was leading toward permanence, Kallus needed to hear it from Fenn's lips, and know what it entailed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you I was getting the band back together. If you've read through my other fanfic, you know my main Star Wars ship is from Legends: Thrawn/Pellaeon. You also know I can't resist any chance to put it in (bow-chicka-bow-wow). Other things you might have noticed: _Where is Zeb? Where is Kallus's best friend?_ Relax, my dudes. I have some plans for Kallus and Zeb. They need to reconnect, especially after Kallus gets a chance to talk to his man.
> 
> If you want tactical resources, HMU and I'll dig them out of YouTube.
> 
> Please tell me how I did with Rex and Cody because they are:
> 
>   1. Hard to write
>   2. Different now
>   3. Old men
>   4. Being written from someone else's POV
> 

> 
> Constructive criticism would be welcome here.
> 
> I figure Kallus knows most of the important people because of reasons. He was close to earning the white uniform, according to his rank bar, and I made his dad super important. Talk to me about the things.
> 
>  **I'm also kind of dying to see other people's interpretations of Kallus/Fenn. You know. If you wanted to. It would be neat, even if they were just friends.**  
>  Oh yes, my main source for the Mando cultural stuff this time (besides the billion language resources) was the much beloved [Star Wars Old Republic Roleplay Forums](http://www.swtor-rp.com/forum/m/1639455/viewthread/1792812-mandalorians-culture-information). It's all info pulled from Legends, and Filoni/Lucas decided to keep most of the cultural stuff. So. *shrug* Enjoy.  
> \---
> 
> 1: [The prisoner chart](https://imgur.com/a/VvzUD) if you wanted to see it again. I hope you can read my shitty writing.  
> 2: I made this shit up.  
> 3: You (are) mine, dear heart.: The Mando'a guide to grammar says I'm allowed to drop the verb _to be_ (cuyir) which is where the "are" would come from in English. And "dear" as we know from [chapter 3 of Tango](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10954095/chapters/24574635) (that side story where Fenn and Kallus sparred on Yavin IV before Denon?) has to be _baretr_ to refer to a person.  
>  4: I won't let anyone lay a hand on you: Won't>will not>will is a verb, so I had to swap out "malyasa'yr" for "dabay".  
> 5: They won't take you back: This is for you, Garakika, and Fenn being possessive. <3  
> 6: Hey! _I said not to scroll down and peek! Eyes up top!_ This is given in the story, actually. c: *waves hand* This is not the translation you're looking for.  
>  7: I gave him an actual job besides loitering and helping Kallus relax.  
> 8: _Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc. Ni partayli, gar darasuum_ : This is the Daily Remembrance for the Dead. Word for word out of the Mando'a language book: _"I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal." Followed by repetition of loved ones' names._  
>  9: Brother.  
> 10: Spouse: Fuck you, they're married. #codex5evah?  
> 11: Mandalorian wedding vows:
> 
>   
> Mhi solus tome ( _We are one when together_ ),  
> Mhi solus dar'tome ( _We are one when parted_ ).  
> Mhi me'dinul an ( _We share all_ ).  
> Mhi ba'jurl verde ( _We will raise warriors_ ).
> 
> \---
> 
> \---  
> "Amanda," you say, "When is chapter 6 going to come out?"
> 
> I know you guys want it. I want to post it too, really, but here's the thing: I have to get through about the first third of chapter 7 before I can edit 6. There's another complication or two: I'm _finally_ getting job interviews (we're on the verge of homelessness right now because no money and no income), and my sister keeps sending me videos of my niece because she's decided to skip crawling and go right to standing and walking.
> 
> I'm working on it. I swear. It's just taking time. <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kallus made a face. "Ah yes. Kanan Jarrus. Jedi Knight. Gossip girl. I'm still considering spacing him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what? This chapter is 22,536 words long. If there are typos, I don't care anymore. I've been over this multiple times. Just enjoy the thing. A lot of cuteness and romance happens in this chapter. It's very slice of life.  
> \----  
> baretr kar'ta: "dear heart" <\- y'all gonna have this memorized.
> 
> Once again, I'd avoid scrolling for.a translation. I've given you what you need.

"Kent," Fenn greeted as he entered their quarters, sounding as though he was one wrong word from murdering someone, "are you still awake?"

Kallus rolled over to look at him. Sleep had been a near thing as he'd tried to calm down and get his mind under control for the conversation they needed to have. He sat up and yawned. Fenn looked fine, no apparent injuries, just tightly controlled anger: there had been no fights to the death this time. "What time is it?"

"It's 2157." Fenn locked the door, and came farther into the room. Kallus watched him warily, unnerved by the way his lover's hands kept twitching toward his blasters. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long. I hardly expected to be lectured by an entire group of people - most of whom you don't even know yet - over our relationship."

Fuck Kanan sideways with his own ignited lightsaber. Kallus groaned, and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to kill him," he muttered as Fenn finally unbuckled the gun belt and started removing his armor and flight suit.

"Kill who?" he asked, pausing to glance over his shoulder at Kallus. The gunbelt was still in one hand, as though Fenn thought he might need to put it back on and go commit that murder on Kallus's behalf.

Kallus gave the gun belt a pointed look and waited until Fenn reluctantly put it down and stepped away to continue removing his armor before he answered. "Kanan."

Fenn straightened and turned to look at him. "It's his doing?" The surprise on his face was understandable: Kallus hadn't expected this level of Jedi meddling either.

Kallus sighed quietly and explained what had happened when he'd run into the Jedi earlier, as Fenn continued to strip out of and stack his armor, including most of what had gone on with Rex and Cody. He didn't hide his frustration with it either, though he became somewhat shy when he got to the part where he'd asked Rex for the translation of what Fenn had said, and again describing when he'd spoken to Kanan about his feelings for Fenn. His lover had changed and joined him on the bunk by then, stretched out in front of him on his side with a hand on Kallus's thigh as he spoke.

The older man rolled onto his stomach and stared thoughtfully at Kallus's knee for a long moment. Kallus shifted to stretch out next to him on his side, watching his face to gauge Fenn's mood. He was still at least as angry as Kallus felt, but now it was difficult to tell who the target of it was. Fenn was pensive, and seemed to be thinking very carefully over how to handle the situation.

Eventually his lover rolled onto his side to face Kallus and ran a hand through the younger man's hair. "I'm not angry with you, _baretr kar'ta_." Kallus relaxed a little into the touch. "The situation is frustrating me."

Kallus snorted quietly. Really, he could understand that. "Cody and Rex did right by you, and I think you're correct. It's time we had a more in-depth discussion about this. About us."

"What you said to me before I reported for duty, and last night while we were, ah," Kallus paused as he searched for the right term (because it hadn't been _just sex_ , but "making love" sounded so _disgustingly trite_ ), blushed to the tips of his ears, "together, I want you to say it to me again, if you meant it. In Basic. I want to hear you say it in a language I speak as well."

Fenn looked nervous at the prospect of filling that request, and now he was blushing slightly too. "I did mean it. Every word." His hand drifted lower, seeking out Kallus's. The younger man laced their fingers together. "If memory serves, what I said last night was: 'You are mine. I won't let anyone lay a hand on you. They won't take you back.'"

Kallus looked at him, stunned by how powerful his emotions were regarding those words. Fenn's thumb rubbed over the back of his hand. It did little to ground him or draw his focus away from his own emotions, but soothed him somewhat nonetheless. "What I said last night and this morning is that I love you, dear heart." Fenn said softly, though his voice was full of conviction.

Now Kallus fully understood what the feeling was. His eyes widened as realization hit, as his brain finally snapped out of the angry/numb/annoyed with Kanan state and carried on with processing the wondrous idea that Fenn was in love with him and it was what Kallus had been feeling all along. " _Karabast_ ," he breathed, and pulled Fenn into a tender kiss. 

"What?" Fenn asked, looking slightly dazed when they broke apart. 

"I think I realized what I've been feeling this whole time," Kallus said, unable to look away from Fenn. "Kanan might be a gossiping old hen, but he was right about you."

His lover arched an eyebrow at him. Kallus wet his lips with his tongue, watched Fenn's eyes drop to look at that instead. "I love you," he said quietly. "I'm terrified of it, but I do. This is something new to me. I don't want to lose you - us."

"You're not going to lose me," Fenn insisted, and kissed him again, briefly. "Short of one of us dying, I have no intention of leaving you, no matter where you stand on the idea of marriage, or children, or adapting to the culture of my people. I'm not going to insist you let two crazy old clones adopt you either, though I'll support you if it comes to that. Whatever you wish to learn, I will happily teach you."

"I'll hold you to that," Kallus said. "To all of it."

Fenn smiled at him and squeeze his hand. "I know you will. You hold yourself and those around you accountable for their actions and you have as much tolerance for dishonesty as I do. Hold me to it, my love."

"I will," he responded, and stifled a yawn as he shifted a little closer.

"I think perhaps tonight is not a good night to attempt my suggestion from this morning," Fenn commented with a slight blush. "Do you want to get ready for sleep instead?"

Kallus nodded and yawned again. As badly as he wanted to take his lover, he wanted to do as when he was awake enough to enjoy it and properly ensure his pleasure and comfort. He let himself be tugged out of the bunk and turned down the covers while Fenn used the refresher, and then traded places with him. When he came out Fenn was plugging in their datapads and comlinks to charge for the night and setting alarms.

"What time do you have to report for duty?" he asked, in the middle of setting his own. 

What time? He couldn't remember. Kallus gestured for his datapad and looked it up. "I'm giving a briefing at 1115 to the rest of my section, so I suppose I have to report for duty at 1000 hours. When do you have to report?"

"Same time."

They looked at each, at the current time, and grinned. "0700 hours?" Kallus suggested. "Gives us plenty of time for whatever we'd like to do."

"I don't know if we'll have time for _whatever_ we'd like," Fenn replied with a lewd tone that matched the look he was giving Kallus. He took the datapad when its alarm had been set and set it on its charger. "There are plenty of things I'd like to do to you that would take several hours."

Kallus laughed at that. "I have my own list of those," he reminded Fenn, as he scooted back to his side of the wide bunk. "I'm sure you also have a list of things you'd like to do that don't take longer than two hours."

Fenn leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Well, you're right about that." That loving smile was back on his face. "Shall we?"

Properly settling down to sleep sounded fantastic. Being wrapped up in each other's arms behind a locked door, the rest of the galaxy safely held at bay, sounded blissfully nice, though there was one last to do before then. Fenn took his hands, and hesitate. He hefted Kallus's hands in his own, as though considering something new for the first time. "Would you like to learn how to say it tonight?"

There was no harm in learning the Daily Remembrance, and if some mission did keep them separated, being able to do that much on his own at night would likely comfort him. These little rituals with Fenn, the way their habits had started to slot together into a familiar routine, was becoming grounding. What he hadn't squashed of the well-trained ISB agent constantly screamed that this was dangerous, but the larger, more human part of him needed this.

He nodded, and was delighted as much by the pleased look that came over Fenn's face as he was by the kiss he received for it. "Listen, then, and repeat."

Fenn worked with him patiently for fifteen minutes until he was certain Kallus had the pronunciation down, and then encouraged his lover to say it instead of him with sweet kisses and encouraging words. " _Ni su'cuyi, gar kir'adyc. Ni partilyi, gar darasuum_. 1" Fenn rewarded him with a proud smile, and they took turns saying the names of their dead. For Fenn, it was his parents, grandparents, those he'd lost in the Clone Wars, and the protectors. For Kallus it was his first unit, back when he'd left the ISB Academy and been assigned to a squad of Enforcers for training, and a small amount of others he'd lost along the way. It was a list of names they trusted only to each other, a secret shared between them.

When they were finished they settled down under the blankets, Fenn pressing close to Kallus so he could wrap him in his arms and steal another kiss. "You did very well," he praised softly. Kallus settled against him with a contented sigh.

"I had an excellent teacher." Kallus draped as much of himself as possible over his lover. "He's a really gorgeous man too. I think you'd be jealous of him if you saw how worked up it gets me when he speaks to me in Mando'a."

Fenn laughed. "I do not get jealous."

Kallus lifted his head to look at Fenn in the dim light of the room. "You don't?"

"No."

"Hmm." Kallus smirked at him. "You know, darling, it's been a while since we've sparred. We'd have to use a very public facility and just ignore the audience. I'm sure you wouldn't mind if the guys from Intelligence came to watch? Some of them have asking me to show them how to do a very particular _full-body pin_."

Fenn was looking more and more jealous by the second. The last time they'd sparred his lover had not appreciated the comments about Kallus's backside, and they'd only been sleeping together for four days then. Now, after nearly two months and declarations of love had been exchanged, he was sure Fenn wouldn't like it at all, and he was right. A quiet growl escaped his lover, and Kallus chuckled.

"You don't mind, right? Since you don't get jealous."

"Maybe I get a little _possessive_ ," Fenn admitted after a moment. "I definitely didn't appreciate the comments they made last time regarding your body."

Kallus kissed him and traced his fingers along Fenn's beard. "I know you didn't. Their opinions on my body don't matter, Fenn. The only one gets to enjoy it is you." Interesting, how the reassurance relaxed his lover. He ran his fingers through Fenn's hair, then lowered his head back to his chest. "I love you," he said quietly, testing the words on his lips again. They felt foreign there, but right. He would adjust to how it felt and sounded when he said them, and eventually he was sure he would feel safe instead of nervous and slightly panicky when he said them.

Fenn sighed contently and kissed his forehead. The rough scratch of his beard over Kallus's forehead was familiar and comforting enough that he could forget who was a few decks below them. "I love you too, dear heart."

It was easy to fall asleep after that, with the sound of Fenn's heartbeat in his ear and the feeling of his chest rising and falling beneath him. Kallus was warm. Kallus was safe. Everything was fine.

Staying asleep was the hard part. The nightmares he hadn't faced since his escape from the _Chimaera_ had returned with a vengeance. Kallus was startled awake by something tapping his foot, the lights turned on to full brightness in their quarters, and opened his eyes to see Fenn a full meter away from the side of the bed. He was crouched low, warily watching his lover. The younger man looked down at his hand, saw his own vibroblade - thankfully still sheathed - that he kept under his pillow at night gripped so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Shocked at the sight of it - Kallus hadn't woken up with a weapon in his hand without a genuine threat in the room in ages - he dropped the knife onto the blankets. It was quickly confiscated and moved to the other side of their quarters.

"You were having a nightmare," the other man said, cautiously climbing back into bed and wrapping an arm around the younger man once he'd removed his blasters from under his pillow. "Are you fully awake now? Do you need me to do anything for you?"

Kallus breathed out shakily, his mind trying to cling to the details of the dream, but they disappeared like smoke from his grasp. He leaned against Fenn. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," Fenn said, running a hand through Kallus's damp hair. "Do you need to talk about it?"

"I can't remember much of it beyond being terrified, and then feeling a hand on me, and waking up." Something about Fenn had been in the dream, though whatever it had been about was gone. The dark ghost of the plot his mind had been playing through was vanquished by the lights of their quarters and his lover's arms.

Safety. They were safe here.

If any of their prisoners had escaped there would be a Fleet-wide alert and a myriad of guards would be overriding the door code to drag the two of them somewhere else to hide.

None of the rational thoughts or reminders of the security protocols Draven had put in place made him feel better. Kallus clung a little tighter to Fenn. Tomorrow, he promised himself, he was going to be awake enough after evening meal to have a vigorous round or two of sex and fall asleep with Fenn inside him or him inside Fenn so he could sleep better.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Only 0037 hours," Fenn responded. They hadn't been asleep long then. "Here, let's lie back down, Kent."

It was easiest to let himself be maneuvered into position lying on his back, with Fenn on his side so Kallus could see nothing beyond the bunk and the older warrior. He relaxed, taking a deep breath. "Thank you," he said softly, reaching up to brush his fingertips over the well trimmed beard, noting the spots where he could see gray hairs starting to grow in place of red ones. Fenn turned his head to kiss Kallus's palm, relaxing him a little more. 

His fingers teased the back of Fenn's sensitive scalp and the small amount of hair growth there. The Mandalorian fashion for men was to keep the sides and the back shaved. It looked good on very few of them in his opinion, but Fenn pulled it off well. There was some fuzz on the back now, which mean it was time for another shave, and another trim on the top. His lover's bedhead was already ridiculous, but right after a trim when it was especially short, Kallus found it incredibly amusing to wake up to.

Moments like this were fascinating to him. In the Empire he'd rarely dated, rarely taken lovers. Living with someone else, knowing them well enough to find their bedhead something to smile over - to find stupidly reassuring - was strange. It was something worth fighting to keep, to protect.

"What?" Fenn asked, eyes narrowing playfully. Kallus guessed he must be grinning like a complete sap.

"It's completely stupid."

The indignant look on the Mandalorian's face was entertaining. He looked like Kallus had insulted his entire lineage or - the Force forbid - his cherished Fang Fighter. "What is?" 

Kallus ran his hand up over the fuzz and then forward through Fenn's hair with a smirk, pushing it further out of place. "Your bedhead. It's absolutely ridiculous. You wake up looking like a threatened and angry woodland creature covered in sharp spikes every morning. I love it."

The sheer surprise on his lover's face at being teased over his hair faded to playful indignation after a moment. "Then I suppose that makes you my fairytale princess."

"I'd look awful in a dress, but I suppose they have their advantages." Fenn raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that answer. Kallus removed his hand from Fenn's hair and shifted onto his side a little so he could more easily slide it down his lover's thigh, then back up and over his clothed cock. This was the sort of distraction he needed.

"Do they?" he asked, obviously interested enough to see where Kallus was going with this.

Kallus's hand moved back down his thigh, then back to grab his ass. "Yes," he murmured, pressing closer and grinding against Fenn until he won a gasp from him. "Easier access." A kiss was pressed to Fenn's cheek, and he rolled away with a smirk. 

"Too bad fairytale princesses can't be with woodland creatures. There are fairy tale laws or something, I think. Oh well. Computer: lights to - " He was cut off as Fenn huffed and rolled him over, pulling him into a passionate kiss. 

"You are such an asshole, sometimes," Fenn breathed when he pulled away. Kallus had gotten him worked up exactly how he wanted him.

He smirked at his lover again and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Was it the mental image of me in a dress?"

"No," Fenn shook his head, kissed him again. "You grabbed my ass. Do you have any idea what it does to me when you do that?"

Kallus raised an eyebrow and tried to lower his arms to test it. "No," Fenn warned, voice low. "You've got me wound up enough for now. Let me help you get to sleep, dear heart. You had a long, stressful day. I'd like to take _very_ good care of you."

How could he possibly refuse a request like that? A reaffirmation of the physical side of their relationship might help him sleep better as well. "Please, darling. Let me feel you inside me. I want yo - "

Red alert sirens. They broke apart and sat up, scrambling immediately for their duty clothing: Kallus for his Alliance Intelligence uniform, Fenn for his flight suit and armor. "I'm going to be pissed if this is a drill," Fenn muttered. Kallus grabbed for his datapad as they changed, combing his hair with his fingers, quickly finding the alert that had been issued.

"It's not a drill," he said, two seconds before the voice of the watch commander for the night shift sounded over the ship's intercom to call battle stations. "Several ships came out of light speed and are moving into attack position." He made sure he had his own comlink and not Fenn's, and they left the room together. Kallus punched in the lock code, and they ran for the stairwell together, knowing the turbolift would be too crowded. They stopped to exchange a kiss, a whispered 'Love you' at the deck Kallus needed, and then parted ways.

Kallus continued to the Intelligence Division. General Draven was waiting outside for him, and pulled him ahead of the crowd of other officers waiting to swipe in. "You'll be joining those familiar with the Imperial officers in the surveillance room this time. I want you to keep your eyes on Thrawn and Yularen in particular."

"Yes, sir," he said, and took his place in the room behind the tech running the cameras for his feeds. There was no outside view of the battle, so it was easier to pretend that it didn't exist. Each rock of the ship from a bolt jostled the full room. His prisoners looked just as confused and unhappy as everybody else's. If Yularen didn't seem full of confidence in their ability to survive, Thrawn definitely looked like he had no faith in them. Kallus made a mental note to double check how much sleep, food, and water he'd been allowed so far, and any drugs he'd been given. 

The battle was over quickly - far more quickly than Kallus had expected for the number of ships that had jumped into the system - and the murmuring in the room grew to a low buzz. He kept his eyes on Thrawn and Yularen: both men seemed surprised. There was hope on Yularen's face, but Kallus couldn't read Thrawn's face at all. The alien's expressions had always been difficult for him, and with Thrawn intentionally masking them Kallus had little hope of discerning what it meant. It didn't mean he couldn't try. Of all of them, he was likely the closest to cracking the man's expressions.

None of the IOs left the room, despite the flashing lights of the alert ceasing, and the all-clear being given. The sound of the engines changed: the ship was maneuvering again. Confusion was obvious on the faces of the prisoners. 

A loud beep startled all of them - their general swiping into the room - and they turned to look. General Draven ordered the techs to timestamp all feeds and keep recording, and pulled several officers out.

Including Kallus.

They stepped into the briefing room, where Colonels Vandyke and Bandholz - Kallus's supervisory officer - were waiting to brief them. Once the room had been secured, Colonel Bandholz - a blue-skinned pantoran woman with shoulder length lavender hair and yellow eyes - stepped forward.

"A short while ago we were attacked by a large band of pirates that claim they came from Vendaxa. They were tracking a data drive Captain Kallus brought back from their base as evidence of their slave trafficking operations." Her eyes landed on him and he raised an eyebrow. When he'd pulled it from the terminal Kallus had made sure there were no attached power supplies to the drive and the techs had assured him that it had been on an isolated connection since. If the pirates been tracking it, someone had intentionally connected it to something strong enough to lure them here and into a trap.

Kallus looked to Draven, letting his suspicions show on his face as an open accusation. There were still only a few people who knew all the details of the mission to Denon and how it related to the pirates and their Imperial prisoners, let alone who had the authority to mess with the disc drive in the first place. A bit of warning that this might happen would have been a damn fine thing to have. Kallus's fists clenched slightly at his sides before he took a deep breath and let it out. This was not the time or place to be angry about it. There was little he could do about past events right now.

After flicking his eyes over Kallus's face and stance and showing absolutely no response whatsoever, the general stepped forward. "Our technicians analyzed the drive and determined we had sufficient evidence to back the information we've gotten out of the Imperial prisoners so far: this group of pirates are allegedly working with some Imperial officers to move prisoners out of Imperial prisons and into the slave trade for their own profit. A large number of them are innocent, non-humans, and an even larger number of them are humans who support our cause."

He'd been right about the drive then. Kallus had hoped what he'd seen on there hadn't been real. With a sickening feeling in his stomach, he lowered his gaze. The names of some of the officers Vanto suspected of being involved had been difficult to sit through: Kallus had worked closely with some of them and had never known how perverted they were. Some of those men had families: wives or husbands, and children. Did they know about the disturbing activities and proclivities of their husbands and fathers? Were they complicit in the actions of those Kallus had previous thought to be good, just men, many of whom were also trying to do the right by Imperial citizens?

A soft, frustrated sigh escaped his lips. He could do nothing about the past right now, and Draven was continuing. "Given the circumstances, we need to verify that the officers we currently have in the brig are sincere in their intentions to see these people freed and those responsible dealt with in the best possible way for all involved.

"We're taking prisoners, or what's left of them, so I'd like to do some rearranging of our Imperial prisoners to see if we can facilitate information gathering." 

What would be the best way to do that? There were only certain combinations that might provoke an interesting conversation or two without ending in someone escaping.

Draven continued, "Blue and Shadow Squadrons had little trouble eliminating and crippling targets. The three highest ranking prisoners will be brought here, so we need to move our prisoners around. The other ships will taking the rest. I'm transferring some of you to those ships to assist in the interrogation process. Captain Kallus, you know the Imperial officers best. Who do you recommend putting near each other?"

He had already narrowed the possible combinations, but it depended on how close they were allowed to get to each other. "We'll need some way to stop them from communicating to each other at all," he pointed, and raised an eyebrow at the general.

"Whatever keeps us all safe." Nods and murmurs of agreement went around the room. All of Intentions had learned to appreciate his caution when it came to Thrawn by now, it seemed. The grand admiral was a menace.

"Put Pellaeon and Vanto together across from Thrawn. Make sure Thrawn can't see Vanto, doesn't know he's there, and that they have and still no way to communicate. Ideally, they shouldn't be able to even mouth or tap codes out to each other. Leave Yularen without a cell mate until Medical clears Director Cody, and put Lyste and Tschel together. Let the lieutenants talk, but monitor them. They're most likely to babble if they feel safe. Put the pirates and undercover agents between their cells and randomly allow conversation and noises through."

He got some interesting eyebrow raises. "You're ready to play them off each other," Andor noted.

Kallus shrugged his shoulders. They weren't quite ready for a full round of that. Thrawn and Yularen both had a very high tolerance to interrogation techniques thanks to their rank and career choices. "Nearly. We haven't had a chance to properly question Director Cody, and Thrawn and Yularen both badly need to be worn down more." He glanced up at Draven. 

The general had a thoughtful look on his face. "And if not, moving them around in small groups until we get them talking won't hurt us too badly, so long as Thrawn stays isolated. Very well, Captain Kallus, you'll handle the prisoner transfers. As for the rest of you, here are your assignments."  
\---

Interrogations kept Kallus busy for the next sixteen hours straight. After running on only two hours of sleep and having an preferably uncounted number of cups of caf to stay that way, he couldn't remember what it felt like to be functionally human. Draven only cut him lose because Thrawn himself called a halt in the middle of his own interrogation with a dramatic sigh and a raised hand. 

"I know that look, and I know that tone. You're another half-hour from falling asleep on your feet. How much sleep did you get before that red alert, Kallus?" Thrawn asked, leaning in with narrowed eyes.

It was a way to scrutinize his sleeping habits, learn his routine, his shifts. Thrawn and Yularen were both still trying to figure out what had changed in him to push him away from the Empire, and both of them were trying to learn Interrogation's routines so they could find a chance to escape. Draven had done a remarkable job of keeping everyone on an irregular and annoying schedule: especially their prisoners. "You can't possibly think I'm going to answer that," Kallus responded in as a monotonous tone as he could manage.

Those red eyes swept over his face and the set of his shoulders before lowering to study his hands for a moment. When Thrawn finally raised his gaze back to Kallus's face he seemed to have come to his own conclusions. "Less than four hours then. You've had at least eight cups of caf since whatever prisoners were brought on board were fully processed. Knowing your habits and how tense I seem to make you, I imagine you've consumed a bit more than that. Eleven cups, captain?" Thrawn leaned back to watch his reaction to that damn accurate guess. Kallus gave him nothing. "Neither of us get anything out of this conversation if you fall asleep in here. Go find your general, Kallus. I'm done talking to you until you've slept."

Thrawn was getting something out of their conversations. Wasn't that interesting? He held Thrawn's gaze for another moment before calmly standing up and walking away. Staying in a room with him made him nervous as it was and doing so while he was jittery from the caf certainly didn't help. The guard lowered the force field to let him out and he swiped into the room on the other side, where Draven was waiting. "Neither of you get anything out of it?" Draven said with a raised eyebrow.

Kallus smirked. "I guess not. Have his eyes done that weird flashing thing?"

"As soon as you turned your back on him."

Kallus crossed his arms over his chest, satisfied. "Well, he's realized he let his tongue slip. Might be a few more days before we get anything else out of him without resorting to truth drugs, but if we pretend we didn't hear that, he might think I was too tired to catch it."

Draven made a face. "Medical is still running their tests on his blood samples to determine if it's safe to do so, and what the min and max doses of everything we use would be. As much as we'd all like to kill him by now, he's still of more use to us alive."

"Unfortunately," Kallus muttered, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"We'll let him sit for a couple of days," Draven said, and rested a hand on his shoulder. "As much as it pains me to agree with him, he was right: Go get some rest. I'm making some changes to your duty schedule: no need to report tomorrow. You may visit the clone if you wish. It seems to make a difference to his healing when you do."

A day off? That sounded fantastic: Fenn was scheduled off-duty tomorrow as well. He would be able to lie-in with him, and then they could have that conversation Kallus badly wanted to get out of the way. "Yes, sir," he acknowledged.

"You're dismissed," Draven said, and Kallus was perfectly pleased with that. The ship's halls were busy as he swiped out of the Intelligence Division and it took him a minute to figure out why. It was the normal dinner hour and change of shift for the rest of the ship. Kallus flicked on his comlink as he pulled himself along with the crowd toward the turbolift that would take him to his quarters. As tired as he was, a shower, a change of clothes, and food were badly needed before he could sleep.

"Kent? Did they finally let you go?" 

Kallus sighed and leaned against the wall of the turbolift. "Yes. Where are you? I'm heading back to our quarters."

"I was going to get food with Zeb, but I'll meet you there instead." There was a rustling sound, and then a laugh. "No, you can't come along, you pervert. He's probably about to pass out from exhaustion anyway."

"You could bring me food," Kallus suggested hopefully. The extra company didn't sound bad either given his final interrogation. "You can bring Zeb too, and kick him out after I eat it." 

"See, he wants to eat me. It's fine," he heard Zeb say. It was easy to imagine the playful scowl on Fenn's face. He tried not to think about what Fenn might think - or how deliciously jealous he might get - if Kallus went along with Zeb's joke. A round of rough sex sounded utterly divine right now. Sex went on his list of priorities before sleep as well: he hadn't realized how he'd wanted it until the suggestion had been made.

Fenn sighed a little, sounding too exasperated to really be feeling it. "Okay. We'll see you shortly then."

"All right, darling." Kallus flicked off the comlink just as he got to the deck he needed, and it was a quick walk from there. He locked the door behind him, and quickly dealt with the business of showering and changing, despite the fact that Zeb had seen him naked plenty of times. With how possessive and protective Fenn had been lately, he thought it best to be wearing pants when they arrived. 

Only pants though: Kallus couldn't bring himself to dig for a shirt. Laundry had clearly been dealt with, if not folded and put away yet, and he couldn't be bothered right now. Afraid that lying down would knock him right out, he grabbed his datapad instead to see if any changes had been made to his schedule yet and settled against the pillows. 

The error message on his duty schedule was odd, but Kallus was too tired to care. _OFF DUTY UNTIL PENDING SYSTEM CHANGES COMPLETE_. He'd not seen that one before; no matter, Draven would sort it. What really mattered was not having to pry himself off Fenn's cock tomorrow unless he wanted to, or Fenn wanted taken. Now that was something he was dying to try. He sat the datapad down, and leaned back, thinking back to how good it had felt having the older man grinding down against his cock like he was going to slide it in at any moment.

Perhaps he'd better stop that, actually, if he wanted to still be in any kind of decent state when Zeb arrived. Sure, they'd attempted to go beyond rutting, and Zeb had watched him jack off a time or two, but there was no way Fenn would go for it. He teased Kallus with the thought of an audience because it got his lover off, but the Mandalorian was too possessive to actually allow an audience for their acts without them sitting down and extensively discussing it first. It didn't stop Kallus from becoming further aroused at the thought of it. Zeb enjoyed the scent of their sex: he'd admitted that. Kallus also knew he liked watching his lovers from far too many conversations involving alcohol, and Zeb knew from those same conversations that Kallus loved being watched.

How hot would it be to have someone that trusted by them both watch Fenn take him completely apart with the orders Kallus so easily obeyed?

Considering how close he was to cumming in his sleep pants, pretty damn hot. He was badly in need of some stress release. Did he have the time?

He slid his hand down to take care of it, but the sound of buttons being pressed on the other side of the door had him shoving a pillow into his lap and looking as innocent as possible instead. "Miss me?" he asked, glad it didn’t come out breathless at all at the sight of Fenn in a proper tunic that clung to his biceps and shoulders just right instead of his flight suit. Both of their eyes raked over him a little hungrily, and he flushed a little. Zeb sniffed the air and raised an eyebrow at him, but passed over his food without comment.

"Couldn't be bothered with a shirt?" Fenn asked, studying the expanse of his chest and all of the visible love bites, scratches and freckles with naked desire on his face.

"No," Kallus said. Now that he smelled the food, he was desperately hungry for something besides sex and felt his erection wane a little. It had probably been a full cycle since he'd consumed something that wasn't caf. He dove into it, not really caring what they'd brought him. They let him eat, didn't interrupt him except to slow him down a little now and again so he wouldn't get sick, and when they were all done and the remains of their meal had been dealt with, he leaned back against Fenn and tangled his hands in Zeb's fur. It was the safest he'd felt all day.

The pillow stayed on his lap.

"Bad day?" Fenn asked, stroking his hands over his arms as he kissed Kallus's neck. Now that he wasn't focused on eating, every brush of fingers on his oversensitive skin seemed to harden his cock further. 

A soft sigh escaped him and he made a disgruntled face. "When the subject of your interrogation refuses to go any further because you're to the point where he knows you're maybe half an hour from falling asleep standing up? Yes. It's not been very good."

"How'd that happen? You've got one of the best sabacc faces I've ever seen," Zeb asked, scooting closer to rake fingers through his hair.

"Thrawn was my last - and longest - interrogation today. We worked together long enough, and frequently enough, on so little sleep that he was able to guess I'd had less than four hours of sleep and almost exactly nail how much caf I'd had to compensate for it. He had the nerve to refuse to continue with me as the interrogator." Kallus let them see him sulk. Thrawn had been a bastard about it too, but at least he'd given them something in the end.

Fenn held him a little tighter and Zeb nuzzled his cheek. It was an excuse to sniff him, and Fenn seemed to still suspect nothing. "Do we need to worry about nightmares tonight, dear heart?" Fenn asked. 

"Yes," he answered, without hesitation. He looked up at Fenn and hoped his pupils weren't dilated. Zeb definitely knew what Kallus wanted now, clearly couldn't quite get enough of the smell.

"Do you want me to stay on your floor?" Zeb offered behind him. It was a tight fit with three of them on the bed, but Kallus was pretty sure they could manage it.

If only Zeb didn't move so much in his sleep.

Kallus shifted slightly between them, wiggling lower on the bed so he could rest his head on Fenn's shoulder and throw an arm over his waist. Fenn sighed quietly and kissed his head. Vaguely aware of what was going on above him, he saw Fenn raise his right arm and make some kind of gesture at Zeb. It turned out to be permission for the lasat to join them, and soon he found himself wrapped up in both their arms. Zeb's arm was draped over them both.

It was quiet for a few moments as Kallus considered Zeb's offer and tried to ignore his erection. Fenn could surely feel it digging into his thigh. His grip on Kallus was tight, and he hoped it was out of concern and not anger. They did need to have that conversation, and Kallus was fairly certain he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep without a good, hard fucking. 

He sighed, frustrated, and annoyed with his own cock in a way he hadn't been since his early twenties. "I don't - "

Hera came to his rescue.

The lasat was pissed when his comlink went off. Zeb wasn't at all happy to be called back to the _Ghost_ for a supply run to a blockaded planet, but said his goodbyes and left anyway after giving them both a tight hug. Kallus promised to come see him tomorrow evening, and let Fenn up to lock up behind him. It was for the best, really, he tried to convince himself. He'd been awfully close to making suggestions Fenn would have not been happy about and he wasn't sure he actually wanted. It was best that Fenn never knew what Kallus had been considering, and leave it as a fantasy for now.

Fenn's eyes were evaluating when he turned around, studying his younger lover with enough intensity to make him want to squirm out of guilt. It looked like Fenn had known he was hard all along (okay, so the pillow on his lap wasn't exactly subtle), and Kallus was about to catch hell for it. "Unless you're ready to go to sleep, why don't we take care of that erection? Lie back where you are." Kallus blushed, glad he'd taken the time to clean himself out in the shower. He obediently sat the pillow behind him on the bunk and leaned back so his legs dangled off the side of the bed. 

"What were you up to before we joined you?" Fenn asked far too casually for Kallus's comfort, sinking to his knees in front of the bed so he could tug the sleep pants down over his lover's cock and off of him. The older man's eyes flicked to the trail of pre-cum that had slid down his belly, and then back up to his face. His eyes hadn't lost any of the intensity. "You've clearly been achingly hard for a while now."

"I have," he agreed, not willing to own up to what had gotten him this aroused to begin with, but too aware of the consequences to be willing at all to outright lie. Kallus shifted his hips slightly in front of his lover, hoping to distract him with something more interesting than conversation. Fenn slid a fingertip down the underside of his cock and over his balls. The look he gave Kallus was thoughtful as he teased the sensitive skin.

The older man pressed his lips into a line and narrowed his eyes. Fenn was determined to figure it out. "Were you touching yourself, dear heart? Sitting here teasing yourself knowing I was bringing someone back with me?"

Kallus let out a shaky breath and looked away. "Kent." That tone was the only warning he was going to get and he knew it. 

"A little, Fenn. Mostly thinking about you," he replied, looking back up, shifting his hips. He didn't have to own up to the whole fantasy, not when Fenn knew how much he liked an audience and had probably already figured out that having Zeb in the room with them and that close while he was hard hadn't helped. "I'm too wound up. Not enough sleep and too much caf, and the alert came at such a bad time."

There was a heated look in his lover's eyes that might have been slightly more anger than arousal. "I see. Don't move." Fenn rose gracefully to his feet and retrieved a few things from a drawer next to the bed besides the lube. "I was able to obtain these recently," he said. "I had hoped to use them the first time for some reason besides a punishment."

Kallus swallowed nervously and turned his head to look as Fenn produced five items: another cock ring besides the one they usually used, a remote of some kind, a second plug, the lube, and a long black rope. None of those looked remotely punishing to him, save for the rope. Even more aroused and a little confused, he looked back to Fenn. "Tired and suffering from an overdose of caf or not, you're an adult - and a well-disciplined one at that - who knows better than to indulge in a kink when unsuspecting company is coming over. Don't think I've forgotten how much you enjoy the idea of being caught or watched." His face was stern, a little angry.

Shame and arousal flooded him now. He knew what he'd done was wrong, knew the boundaries they'd drawn with each other meant a punishment was in store, and loved how dirty he felt at being turned on by being in trouble. Kallus licked his lips. He felt guilty for what he'd done in the first place, and now he felt guilty for being aroused by whatever Fenn was planning to do to punish him.

"Are you fine with me tying your arms behind your back?" Fenn asked.

"Not today," Kallus said immediately. Being near Thrawn for so long brought back too many unpleasant memories of the Battle of Atollon. Spending the entirety of the battle in binders on the _Chimaera's_ bridge, forced to watch his new allies pulverized at the grand admiral's hands, had taken away all of the enjoyment he'd previously gotten from being bound that way during sex. He considered the problem. "If it's important they be immobilized, you can tie them at my sides."

"Sit up," Fenn ordered imperiously. Kallus obeyed, and tilted his head up for a bit of reassurance. Fenn indulged him with a gentle kiss and slid a hand through his hair before pulling away to wrap him in the length of rope. It was a lot softer than it looked, and strong. Fenn put the end of the cord that would unravel the whole thing with a tug in his hand and kissed his forehead. Next, he pushed his lover onto his back, parted Kallus's legs, and easily worked him open only enough to take the plug. The cock ring went on next.

The remote was activated and with it, the cock ring and plug. He cried out, and Fenn chuckled. The sound of it was cruel. "You look gorgeous like this, but you'll keep for now. I will be at the work desk where you can see me, dear heart. I'm afraid I still have reports to finish writing before I can join you."

"Fenn - " A raised eyebrow cut him off. "Sir, please!"

"No. This is your punishment for getting yourself worked up when you specifically asked me to bring Zeb with me.You will wait until I have finished, and then I will join you. You are not to cum, and you will stay on your back. Seeking relief by any means will result in a far harsher punishment." His tone and expression were severe as he scooped up the remote and stood, leaving Kallus to writhe on the bed behind him, unwatched and without the use of his hands. 

It was torture, and far worse than he had thought it would be with Fenn right there. His lover had the remote sitting where Kallus couldn't see it or when his hands were near it, and changed the speed of the two toys separately or together, at irregular intervals. By the time he set the datapad aside and turned the toys down to a low setting Kallus was sobbing, beyond begging, his breaths coming in broken, ragged gasps. 

Fenn stripped off his clothing and sat on the bed next to him, looking every bit the stern Dom punishing his disobedient fucktoy. His hand slid to the plug - it had slid out a little with all of Kallus's writhing - and pushed it back inside, making another sob escape. "I wonder, _cyar'ika_ 3, if you've learned your lesson."

"I have, Sir," Kallus gasped. He swore and his back arched as Fenn wrapped that same hand around his aching cock. "Please, let me show you." 

For a second he thought he'd be denied again, but then Fenn stopped touching him and turned the vibrations off. He lifted a hand to wipe the tears from Kallus's face. "If you can tell me what you've done wrong and why I've punished you the way I chose, we shall see about continuing. Tell me why I punished you."

It took the younger man a moment to gather the breath to form the words, still fighting sobs as his rectal muscles tried to contract around the plug, seeking more stimulation and not finding enough to satisfy him. "Because even though I asked you to bring a guest with you that would I knew would smell it on the air, I decided to indulge in self-pleasure immediately before you both arrived. It was wrong of me to do so, and I know better than that. I'm sorry." 

Kallus averted his eyes and lowered his voice submissively. He was genuinely sorry, knew Fenn was a possessive man, and definitely knew his lover likely would not take well to having that sprung on him. Likely, Fenn would give him a piece of his mind before they continued.

The older man nodded his head. "Your apology is accepted, baretr kar'ta." Fenn's hands were wandering again, this time over his thighs. His eyes were following, as though he were considering leaving another trail of marks like he had the first day they'd ever sparred. The thought of him doing it again made Kallus shiver. "Why do you think I chose this punishment?"

Kallus looked at his lover, really looked at him. There was some hurt in his bright blue eyes, but was it hurt that he had caused? No, he didn't think that was entirely the case. This was from having to discipline his lover, perhaps. 

When it came to adding elements of BDSM to their sex life, there were a few places Fenn had drawn the line. Engaging in play while either of them were chemically impaired without discussing it beforehand or while he was extremely angry or upset in any way were two of those lines - hard limits, they called them - boundaries that were not to be crossed. Involving another person was a soft limit, a boundary Fenn was willing to consider pushing with plenty of forewarning and discussion only. Disciplining Kallus for crossing that line was absolutely warranted according to the rules they had laid down, and though Fenn hated having to punish him, he would do it if Kallus had crossed a line.

Kallus had jumped right over a line without any warning.

He forced himself to focus around the lack of sleep and the caf and the hand teasing his thighs. Fenn had asked him a question and he had to answer it or he'd be punished for that. What had Fenn insisted on? Bound hands and not looking at Kallus. Those two things had been significant. "You bound my hands so I couldn't touch myself, and you refused to look at me so I didn't have the audience I wanted. The toys were so you could tease me as you wished, and remind who my pleasure is for."

When Fenn smiled, Kallus relaxed. The plug was removed, but not the ring. "Very perceptive," he praised, and leaned over to kiss Kallus. "You're mine: you’ve said so yourself. I did not appreciate having you curl up in my arms and smelling your precum knowing that Zeb could as well. I most certainly did not enjoy the realization that you'd been teasing yourself knowing I was bringing Zeb back with me." 

The older man's voice was stern, his kissable lips turned down in a frown as he reached to pull the cord that unraveled Kallus's bindings. "It felt like you were taking advantage of my comfort with your past relationship and your current friendship with him. Do I need to be concerned of anything happening between the two of you, Kallus? Is there something you're wanting from him that I cannot provide for you?"

Kallus winced, surprised to find the comment stung, and shook his head. Fenn was already better to him than Kallus deserved. "You have nothing to be worried about," he said, and pulled Fenn down into a tender kiss. When he broke it off, he made sure to look him in the eye. "I'm fairly certain it was a passing fantasy, driven by the result of work and the feeling of safety having you both nearby provides. You give me everything I need and want, Fenn." He left it there. Now wasn't the time for his own selfish insecurities.

Fenn relaxed. The smile he rewarded Kallus with was full of love now that he'd been properly reassured. "All right. Thank you. We'll discuss this more tomorrow, but right now - " his hand found Kallus's cock again and wrapped around it, stroking slowly, " - I think there are other things we need to attend to. I missed you desperately today. Shall I show you?"

"Please do," Kallus responded, relieved and eager to continue. "If I don't get to cum tonight I'm going to go insane."

"Don't you fret," his lover promised in low, hungry voice, already shifting them into an easier position to take Kallus. "I'm going to fuck you until all that extra energy from the caf is gone from your body."  
\---

They slept in the next morning and were only woken by the door chime going off repeatedly. Kallus swore and grabbed for his pants that were next to the bed. "Hold on a fucking second," he snapped into the intercom, voice barely there from the previous night. At least the chime stopped. Fenn sat up slightly, looking confused as Kallus pulled his pants on and tied them in place. Despite the drawstring, they still hung off him slightly, showing off his sharp hip bones and the trail of strawberry blonde hair that ran from his belly button down.

Did he even have a voice? His throat was killing him from the noises Fenn had pulled out of him with the relentless, deep, slow pounding Kallus had been given once his punishment was over. Aware that he was covered in hickeys and scratch marks, Kallus pulled on a shirt and hit the video intercom to see who the fuck was being so bold so early. It was a very young private in a flight suit. Great. A member of Fenn's training squadron then. They were supposed to be Wedge's problem today. He hit the button to open the door, letting it open only partially. The boy didn't need to see his commander's pasty ass.

"Can I help you, private?" he growled out, intending to tell him to fuck off and send him back to Fenn's executive officer. Being dragged out of bed before 0900 hours by an incessant door chime by some asshole kid after yesterday was aggravating.

He hesitated, which annoyed Kallus further, so he straightened to his full height. "Out with it, boy. Why are you terrorizing my door chime?" Kallus asked impatiently.

"I ah… I thought these were Captain Rau's quarters. My apologies." The boy bowed slightly.

Kallus hid a smirk. Ah. A hazing. Hera had mentioned something about a new group of pilots. "Are you one of his new pilots?" he asked, and listened as there was the sound of a groan and Fenn burying his head under the pillows. The boy nodded. "No wonder you didn't look familiar. I'm Captain Kallus. These quarters belong to Captain Rau _and_ myself. Please tell your squad mates to save hazing activities for after 1000 hours. Were you sent to deliver or ask for anything odd?"

Flabbergasted. This one was flabbergasted. Whoever had sent him hadn't prepared him for Kallus to spoil whatever prank this was. His lover was far more likely to go along with it than he was, he supposed. Behind him he could hear Fenn reluctantly dragging himself out of bed. The private glanced to the hall to the left, and Kallus sighed when he caught sight of the shadows. He reached an arm around the mostly closed door, and gestured for Fenn to join them. "Come here, both of you," he addressed the figures just out of sight.

The shadows stilled immediately. "I can see your shadows. Your antics have already woken your captain. Do you want me to drag him out of bed to discipline you as well?" They didn't need to know that Kallus could hear Fenn grumbling several unkind words behind him while he pulled on clothing. 

He knew these two. Jonner Jin and Gooti Terez were two members of the former Iron Squadron. Where these two were, their former leader usually followed. "Where's Mattin?" Kallus asked, instantly suspicious.

"Grounded to his quarters for encouraging similar antics," Fenn said, coming up behind him. A hand on the small of his back nudged him into the hallway and the door slid shut behind them. "Private Ortiz, you're dismissed. Report to Lieutenant Antilles: I'll speak with you about this later."

The young private had the sense to snap to attention and salute before more or less fleeing from them without looking back. These two still didn't have the common sense to be standing at least at a parade rest. Fenn was quite clearly furious with them: the childishness the trio displayed had kept them from passing out of training so far. "As for you two," he trailed off as he stared them down. Two guards came around the corner, and Fenn motioned to them. "I've had it with this behavior. The two of you are confined to quarters for a week. Guards."

What protests started as the guards took their arms were silenced with a glare. "I'll be back," he murmured to Kallus, "once I'm certain my training flight understands how little I enjoy being bothered with discipline issues on a rare day off and turn this over to Wedge's capable hands."

Kallus hid a grin. "Of course, darling. I'll be waiting."

He showered and cleaned himself out again while Fenn was gone, then cleaned the toys they'd used last night and put those away, made the bed, and had just started to finish laundry and get it folded and properly put away when Fenn came back with caf and breakfast. "Thank you, cyare."

"Haven't heard you use that word yet," Kallus reminded him as he accepted his food and caf with a pleased smile.

Fenn blushed a little, but turned back around and bent down to kiss the top of Kallus's head. "Beloved." 

"You certainly make me feel that way," Kallus from his position on the floor where he had been matching socks. The temptation of caf and food had lured him momentarily from his task: at least enough to stop and take bites of his omelet.

"Good," Fenn said, and joined him on the floor to help. "That's how I want you to feel. I ran into Rex in the mess."

Kallus was mid-bite, so he couldn't ask, but he raised an eyebrow instead as he finished the socks and switched to folding pants. Cody was doing well enough that Rex was willing to leave him with his gaggle of guards and nurses, that was good. He'd have to go down and check on the old man later.

Fenn smiled at him and took a quick sip of his caf. "He was concerned about you. Asked me if Draven had sacrificed you to the other Intelligence Officers for food after the battle." Kallus snorted at that. "Then asked me if we've discussed marriage yet and if he should be waiting for a happy announcement."

A roll of his eyes expressed Kallus's thoughts on Rex's involvement nicely, he thought. He took a sip of his caf. "It's none of his business. Honestly, he's as bad as Kanan with the meddling sometimes. I'm dreading checking on Cody tonight now: if he's doing well enough for Rex to feel fine leaving him alone I'm going to get an earful about it." 

The older man chuckled and stood. He'd finished his food first and disappeared into the 'fresher to wash his hands. When he returned he held his hands out for the pile of folded laundry and put it away while Kallus finished folding. He let Fenn put the rest of it up and finished eating before standing. A quick kiss was placed on his cheek. 

"I'm going to shower," Fenn said, "and then I think we ought to have that conversation we had to put off, if you've no objection."

Kallus shook his head. "No objections. Go on, darling. I'll switch our statuses to do not disturb this time. Perhaps the galaxy will take the hint."

It would give him a very short amount of time to prepare his own thoughts on the matter. "We can hope." Fenn gave him a roguish smile, and Kallus appreciatively watched him strip before he entered the refresher. After glancing at the door to make sure it was properly locked, Kallus grabbed his datapad and plopped at the workstation chair, hoping he had his authorizations back to do what he needed to do. 

It took a minute, but the system let him back in. One of the joys of being off-duty and no longer an Imperial officer was the ability to put oneself (and partner, if you had one) on do not disturb, or DND status for a few hours. Unless an emergency popped up, you could tell Command to shove it for a while. Kallus located their names quickly and set the status for Captain Fenn Rau and partner, Major Kentigern Kallus. Done. He sat the datapad down and immediately picked it back up, logged back in, and checked for messages.

"Major" was not his rank, as far as he was aware.

There was one message from General Draven, regarding a change to his schedule for tomorrow:

**[Document #PM1054A: (Promotion Ceremony) Sent from General Draven to Major Kallus]**  
---  
_Congratulations, Major Kallus. Report to ready room G50, at 0945 hours for your official promotion to the rank of Major. You've more than earned this. The system changes aren't visible to anyone who doesn't already outrank you. Your friends' schedules have been cleared so they can attend. See you then._  
  
Quite stunned by the sudden news, he acknowledged the schedule change, and sat at the desk with the datapad in his hand contemplating what this might mean. Bringing in the prisoners he had was a big deal, but Kallus hadn't been with the Alliance a terribly long time. Did Draven have something specific in mind, or was this truly only a reward? 

With General Draven as the officer who would have to sign off on the promotion, he found it unlikely that he was being promotion because he had "more than earned it." No, he was up to something, but Kallus wouldn't find any answers before Draven was ready to give them to him. Whatever it was, he'd likely made his decision during Kallus's interrogation with Thrawn. Draven had told him to take today off after that. 

Did have something to do with the Imperials then? The pirates? 

Whatever it was, Kallus suspected he wasn't going to like it.

When Fenn came out of the 'fresher a moment later Kallus was still staring at his datapad, lost in thought. After pulling on underwear and pants Fenn crossed the room to his lover, who handed him the datapad. Fenn read it, look at his lover, and set it down at the workstation.

"Congratulations, dear heart," he praised, and stooped to kiss the top of his head. Kallus let Fenn drape his arms around his shoulders and lifted his hands to rest on them. "I take it you weren't expecting the promotion."

"No," Kallus said, and locked the datapad. It was time to focus on something else. Whatever Draven had in mind would have to wait. This wouldn't. He turned around and let Fenn pull him to his feet. "But it's not unwelcome." His hands settled on Fenn's hips, and his nerves from before returned. Thanks to that distraction he'd not yet gathered his thoughts on the subject of _them_. 

Fenn drew him to the bed. "Don't be nervous, Kent. Not with me. We're making sure we're on the same page, right?" Kallus nodded as he sat, and Fenn sat down next to him. "And if we're not, we will be."

There was a chance they wouldn't be: Fenn ignored that possibility with typical Mandalorian stubbornness, and Kallus sighed and gave him a fond smile. "Stubborn old man," he mumbled, and kissed his cheek. He did feel a little better. 

"And don't you forget it." Said old man looked awfully pleased with himself. "Now. Let's start with last night. I think we've both apologized enough for it so we can leave that out." Kallus agreed with that. They'd finished each other off whispering apologies and declarations of love. "What I want is your word that nothing of the sort will happen again unless all parties are aware and consenting. I did not appreciate being surprised by that, and we will have to speak with Zeb later: I expect you to apologize."

That was fair. Kallus nodded. "I give you my word, Fenn. It will not happen again, and I will apologize to Zeb."

Fenn nodded once, satisfied, and that was that. That matter was closed. Kallus felt instantly relieved by it. "Good. That's settled then."

"Yes," Kallus agreed, toying with Fenn's fingers, and the ring on his hand. He still hadn't kicked that habit he'd developed on Denon, and didn't think he would. Fenn had spoken first. It was his turn to pick a topic: might as tackle the most mild of his own insecurities head-on. "Am I still giving you everything you need? Physically? Emotionally?" Maintaining eye contact was difficult. Kallus wasn't used to being afraid of failure or loss. This was still a new fear and his method of handling it had been to not bring it up unless they were having one of these discussions.

To his credit, Fenn took the question seriously and thought over it for a moment before giving his hands a squeeze and smiling softly. "You are. I'm very much looking forward to having you take me later," he admitted. The slight flush to his cheeks made Kallus blush in return - he remembered how Fenn wanted to go about it - and he lifted one of the older man's hands to his lips to kiss it. "Emotionally, yes. I told you, I'm quite low-maintenance."

Fenn paused, brows furrowed slightly. Something occurred to him, though he seemed to be hesitating to say it. Kallus waited, and when it looked like Fenn might move on, he raised an expectant eyebrow. "Oh no, you don't. Out with it."

The look he got for that was slightly pouty, but at least his lover cooperated. "I do wish you wouldn't provoke me into being possessive. I'm not proud of it: the trait is frowned upon and if other Mando'ade found out, I may have to endure their shaming over that as well."

Kallus studied Fenn for a long moment, because he'd learned three very important facts and needed a moment to analyze them.

  1. Possessiveness was considered undesirable in Mandalorian culture
  2. Fenn was being shamed by other Mandalorians aboard ship for something else
  3. Fenn might be shamed for being possessive as well.



"If I ask why you're being shamed will you give me an honest answer about what that is, in Basic?" he asked, looking at Fenn with narrowed eyes.

Fenn sighed and pulled a hand free to run it through his hair. "I will. I'm concerned about how you'll react to the answer, but if you ask it of me, I will tell you."

How the hell was he supposed to make informed decisions in their relationship without all the information? "I'm already irritated you didn't tell me you were having a problem," he pointed out. "You might as well keep talking."

His lover looked like Kallus was sending him to his death. After taking a deep breath and three false starts, he managed to speak. "I have been having sex with you for two months, but we have not married. I've been constantly reminding the others that you are from a different culture, and am reminded that there are plenty of single Mando'ade who would love to marry me and give me children aboard this ship alone." The thought of taking someone else seemed to piss him off, a fact Kallus quite liked. 

"I nearly got in a fight to the death with someone to prove I was not dar'manda4 \- that I am just as much a part of the manda as I was the day I was born." Fenn huffed. "Wedge put a stop to it. Apparently my commission forbids fights to the death. That _peyn tah'da_ 5 got lucky.

Kallus bit his lower lip, worrying at it. This was causing Fenn trouble, and a lot more than his lover had been willing to bring up. His emotions were difficult to process: annoyance that Fenn hadn't told him; anger on his behalf; sadness that he was part of the cause of this. Fenn's status in the Alliance's Mandalorian community was as important as Sabine's: it guaranteed them powerful allies from the Mandalore system when they needed that backup in battle. It bolstered Fenn's reputation and command authority, and it made his squadron far more terrifying to their enemies. From time to time Imperials or mercenaries had simply turned tail and run at the sight of his Shadow Squadron's Fang fighters.

"Why did you hide this from me?" he finally asked.

Fenn looked away. "Because I thought you would react poorly to the information and want to protect me by doing something you didn’t really want or weren't ready for. You have a habit of self-sacrifice, dear heart."

"You're a hypocritical bastard sometimes, you know that?" Kallus informed him, exasperated. 

Fenn looked back at him, expression serious and somewhat annoyed. "I know. But I'm not wrong, am I? You're thinking about it right now, weighing what would be the best option, politically and militarily, without even considering our relationship as a factor."

"Why would I need to take our relationship into it?" Kallus asked, dumbfounded. Fenn gave him the same look, as though he couldn't believe Kallus would ask that question. He pressed on, realizing that Fenn hadn't caught his meaning, and tried to explain. "I can't imagine being with anyone else, and - as my mother would say - we're an excellent match. I'm just not sure where I stand on the idea of children."

"Children?" Fenn was baffled, clearly trying to keep up with Kallus's train of thought and stumbling behind a couple steps.

Kallus nodded, not quite realizing how far behind him Fenn was. "Rex and Cody explained it to me. I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of so much as glancing at a child, but I've been told that having - or adopting - and raising children, is an essential part of Mandalorian marriage. That's why it's in your vows, isn't it? I've also been informed that you would definitely want children, and that's what's holding me back, because I still think I'd be absolute shit as a fath- "

Air was knocked from his lungs as 107 kilograms of solid muscle hit his chest and knocked him to the mattress. Fenn was covering him full body, lips pressed to his in a hard kiss that took Kallus a couple of seconds to respond to. "That's the issue?" Fenn demanded when he pulled back to stare incredulously at him. "Having kids is what's holding you back? We just talked about this!"

His lover's hands were under his shirt, thumbs teasing his nipples. Fenn moved his mouth to bite at Kallus's neck. "I told you already, we don't have to have kids if you're not comfortable with it. 'We will raise warriors' is part of the vows, but there are other ways to interpret that line."

A moan escaped him, and Kallus gently pressed at Fenn's shoulders, pushing him to sit up. "Calm down there, captain," he entreated. "What happened to talking?"

There was heat in his lover's eyes now that he'd gotten Kallus messed up and panting. "You. You and your insufferably romantic concerns that go straight to my cock." His accent was thicker. Kallus hid a smirk: whatever he'd said right had gotten Fenn really worked up for that to happen. Fenn's chest was heaving slightly, and his eyes were dilated. Yes, Kallus had him worked up quite a bit. He sat up as well, and didn't bother keeping much distance between them: Fenn would close it again if he did.

"Was it something I said?" he teased. 

"Are children the only thing holding you back from a marriage commitment?" Fenn asked again, ignoring the teasing in favor of pursuing an answer to his question with the sort single-minded determination Kallus expected of him.

Kallus shivered at the growl in his voice. This possessiveness again: he knew Fenn found it shameful but Kallus found it extremely attractive. "Yes," he answered quietly.

"I won't force you to raise children," Fenn reminded him. "You're to hold me to that, remember?"

He remembered. Kallus nodded. Was Fenn asking him to - ?

His lover raised a hand to stop him from asking. "There are traditions to follow when bringing an outsider in through marriage. If this is truly what you want as well, I would be honored if you would follow them."

Kallus gave him a soft smile. "Then you had better tell me what they are so you can properly ask me, hadn't you?"

Fenn beamed at him.  
\---

They spent the remainder of the time the rest of the ship was required to leave them alone curled up with Fenn's datapad, trading lazy kisses, talking about their relationship, and what would be expected of Kallus. He would need to learn Mando'a (though not all of it before they exchanged vows), and Fenn said he would speak with a few people to work with him as well. At some point, Kallus would be formally introduced to Clan Wren, who had adopted Fenn after the Protectors had been destroyed, and the group of Mandalorians assisting the Alliance. 

First, Fenn had to pay respect to Kallus's family customs, and ask for his hand from his next of kin. Not doing so would be seen as dishonorable, and disrespectful. After that, they could say their vows whenever they felt ready to do so. The two of them went back and forth on that for a while before deciding to pull up his datawork and see who was listed as Kallus's next of kin. It was Fenn. 

"You get to ask yourself," Kallus decided with a shrug. "It's not like you can go ask the only person I would consider to be my next of kin, unless you want to ask Zeb after what I'm sure is going to be a very awkward conversation and apology."

"What if I asked Kanan?" Fenn asked.

Kallus made a face. "Ah yes. Kanan Jarrus. Jedi Knight. Gossip girl. I'm still considering spacing him."

"So that's a no?" 

Kallus glared at his lover. 

"Yes, dear." Fenn chuckled a little, and resumed his pacing. "Well, if I'm your next of kin, I give myself permission, and I supposed that's that. If you decide to allow Rex and Cody to have their way and adopt you, I will ask a second time. That should satisfy tradition."

"Should it?" Kallus asked, trying to goad him into asking for his hand properly. He set the datapad aside and gestured for the clearly nervous man to come join him on the bed, a teasing smile on his lips. "Are you sure that's every Coruscanti tradition accounted for?"

That didn't help Fenn's nerves at all. The older man sat next to him and gave him a dirty look. "You're not being helpful," he scolded, then scowled a little when his lover chuckled. Kallus leaned in and kissed him softly.

"Relax, Fenn. What do you think I'm going to say?" A sliver of skin on his neck was visible and too tempting to ignore: Kallus shifted so he could nip at it. Rewarded with an encouraging gasp, he did it a little harder and then gently lapped at it with his tongue. "I'm not giving you up."

Fenn turned his head to steal a kiss, pressing him back against their pillows. " _Ni dabay ganar va ashi gar. Eoa solus ti ni, baretr kar'ta_? 6" he whispered into Kallus's ear.

Kallus shivered and slid his hands into Fenn's. "Fenn, I don't - "

"I will have no other but you. Become one with me, dear heart?" Fenn pulled back to look at him, face as serious as Kallus had ever seen it. His eyes, however, were hopeful and fixed on Kallus's. It took his breath away, stole the words from his mouth, and the only way he could think to answer was by surging forward and claiming Fenn's mouth in a deeply emotional kiss. His lover's arms wrapped around him, holding him close even after they separated for air.

Kallus pressed their foreheads together. "Yes," he finally managed. After a moment, he realized he was trembling in Fenn's arms, though he wasn't sure why. "Fenn, _yes_."

" _Gia'jida_ ," Fenn murmured breathlessly into his ear. He was shaking too. "Betrothed." Fenn's teeth teased his earlobe. "I'm going to marry you." Kallus shivered and buried his face in Fenn's neck. As he breathed in the smell of him, he realized his face was wet - that explained the trembling, he realized distantly - and couldn't even remember if he'd ever cried from happiness before.

"Not if I marry you first," he retorted half-heartedly, and nipped at the skin where his mouth was. Fenn squeezed his hands, and shifted a little. Kallus accommodated him, and they moved into a better position to rest against each other and trade gentle kisses and touches for a while.

"Let's update the datawork accordingly, get something to eat, and handle Zeb," Fenn suggested eventually with a nip to Kallus's neck, "so that I can bring you back here and use my DND for the day. I badly want to feel you inside me."

The change in relationship status was done quickly with a note attached that they were not prepared to announce the change at this time, with an extra notification sent from Fenn to the elders of the Mandalorian community. Anything extra they felt Kallus ought to learn would be handed down to him from them, though Fenn pointed out that, most likely, they would leave that sort of thing up to the elders of Clan Wren. Storytelling, clan-specific traditions, and things of that nature were handed down directly by the elders, and the Alliance hadn't been together long enough for anything like that to have happened, save for a gathering at each base, or on each ship, after a large battle with many losses to perform the Daily Remembrance as a community.

They ate quickly tucked away in a corner where they could quietly discuss their plans for bed without being overheard, and headed to the _Ghost_ when they were finished, eager to complete their errands and return to their quarters for the night. Most everyone was there, except for Zeb. Fenn asked Hera to call him back so they could speak to everyone at once about something important, and then threw an arm over Kanan's shoulder and steered him off. Kallus watched them go with a smirk, Hera shook her head. "I told him to mind his own business," she told him apologetically.

"I told Fenn as soon as he returned from whatever they - " he jerked his thumb at Sabine, sitting on one of the small stools across from him, " - did to him who was at fault. I wish I'd paid more attention as a child: I can't recall whether or not all Jedi were that gossipy or if he picked up that habit later in life." His family had been assigned several Jedi as bodyguards at one point or another during his childhood due to his father's role as a senator.

Ezra snickered and plopped down next to him at the dejarik table. "Ahsoka wasn't like that at all. I think Kanan's just getting bored sitting around on a command ship all the time." 

Kallus rolled his eyes. "I'm sure General Draven's offer to assist the Intentions section still stands if he gets that bored." 

"How's that going?" Sabine leaned forward, folding her arms on the table. "You haven't said anything about it."

"I'm not allowed to," he replied with a shrug. "None of you have a high enough security clearance, and I definitely couldn't say anything here."

Ezra frowned. "Wait, Hera doesn't have a high enough security clearance?"

"I don't," Hera confirmed. "And with some matters, the fewer people who know, the better. I'm glad they're promoting you, though. A few of the senators were getting weird about how many lower-ranking officers are involved in questioning Thrawn when they aren't allowed to speak to him themselves."

Kallus snorted, and shifted into a more comfortable position on the bench. "Ah, yes. How dare we highly trained peasants who have specialized in very particular things - many of us for our entire adult lives - not allow some pompous bastard of a politician to ruin all of our hard work with one breath?"

They all chuckled. Sabine shifted slightly in her seat. "I overheard General Draven inform Mothma that Thrawn would toy with her, chew her up, and spit her out right after she finished undoing all of Intelligence's hard work and that he doubted Senator Organa would fare any better."

He couldn't comment on that no matter how much he agreed with his superior officer's assessment, so he shrugged. "Sounds like something Draven would say - ah, welcome back." Fenn looked awfully pleased with himself as he sat down on Kallus's other side, greeting him with a chaste kiss. Kanan slunk back into the room, and stopped in front of the dejarik table next to Sabine with a glum look on his face.

"Learned your lesson?" Kallus asked the younger man.

The Jedi frowned at him. "I apologize for interfering. It won't happen again."

"Apology accepted," he replied after a moment, and eased the tension in the room with a smile. 

"Where's Zeb?" Fenn inquired. He was still watching Kanan closely, and Kallus privately wondered how long it was going to take his lover to forgive the Jedi. It had worked out okay in the end, but they would have gotten there fine without his meddling.

The lasat's footsteps were difficult to miss. "I guess you summoned him by asking," Ezra commented as Zeb greeted them. "So can you tell us _now_?"

"We were all invited to the promotion ceremony so it's not that," Sabine chimed in eagerly.

"Congratulations, by the way," Zeb added with a proud smile.

Kallus ducked his head shyly for a second, and then swatted Fenn's hand away when he tried ruffled his hair. "Thank you, and no, it's not the promotion. I want to be perfectly clear on this point: aside from Rex and Fenn's squadron, you are the _only_ people we plan to share this news with."

"Fenn's pregnant!"

"Ezra!" Kanan scolded as the boy cackled.

"Kallus is pregnant!" 

"Sabine!" Kanan scolded, trying not to crack a smile.

Fenn and Kallus grinned and shook their heads. "No, on both counts," Fenn denied with a chuckle, and rested his hand on top of Kallus's over the table. The younger man intertwined their fingers, suddenly nervous. They exchanged a glance, and Kallus nodded slightly. Of the two of them, the news was likely to be taken better coming from Fenn. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm afraid we're merely betrothed."

"Oh, well, if that's all it is - " Ezra stopped himself mid-sentence to turn ninety degrees in his seat and _look_ at them, silently mouthing Fenn's response.

Their reactions were a lot to take in. Ezra, Kanan, and Sabine were clearly pleased. Chopper seemed happy with it as well. Hera and Zeb looked a little concerned but not upset. Of the two reactions, Sabine's, "It's about damn time!" and Hera's, "Isn't it a little early for that?" stuck out the most. They gave each other a weird look.

"Hera, they've been sleeping together way too long to not have taken this step," Sabine said. "Besides, they're grown men. They're old enough to know what they want in a relationship and go for it."

"Two months is awfully quick to go from dating to engaged, is all," Hera replied calmly. "I just want what's best for you both."

Kallus gave her a grateful smile. "I appreciate it, Hera. We had a very long discussion about it, and everything that I need to do first. This is what I want."

"And it's what I want. If it helps, we didn't make this decision lightly," Fenn added quickly.

Hera relaxed, and smiled. She still looked a little uncertain, but seemed willing to let it go for now. "So, when do you get married?"

"When we feel prepared for it," Fenn responded with a half-shrug. "I'd like to formerly introduce him to the Mandalorian community here first, and when bringing in an outsider via marriage it's considered respectful amongst my own people to honor any traditions of theirs."

Kallus shrugged. "We haven't spent much time discussing that. I found out halfway through the day I was being promoted, and his training flight decided to be a pain in the ass first thing in the morning."

"Let me guess," Ezra said, "Mart, Jonner, and Gotti."

Fenn groaned. "Don't say their names. You might summon them." He told them the story of what had happened that morning, including what had happened after he'd marched them right to their quarters. "I'm going to murder whoever told Mattin about hazing and military initiation traditions."

They stayed a while longer, and talked for until everyone began heading off to finish evening chores and errands. Fenn put Kallus through the process of apologizing to Zeb, and then they split up for a little while so Fenn could talk to Wedge and his actual squadron and then check on the kids he'd grounded, and so Kallus could give the news to Rex and check on Cody. In an hour or so, they would meet upstairs to begin the plans they'd made over dinner.

He found Rex waiting in a chair outside the room, looking impatient and glaring at the officers on guard duty. "Report," he ordered, as the guards came to attention.

"General Draven is currently questioning Director Cody," the guard he'd addressed reported.

Kallus nodded his thanks, and gestured for Rex to come with him. "I've got some news you might find more worth your time than intimidating men who are doing their jobs," he offered. Rex cast a glance at the guards, at the room behind him, and sighed. 

Relenting, he stood and followed Kallus into one of the consultation rooms doctors used to speak with patients' loved ones and by regulation could not have any type of recording device in it. These were swept several times a day for surveillance equipment, and the last sweep had only recently occurred. This room was also in sight of the guards throughout the course of the day. None of those facts stopped Kallus from doing a quick and thorough sweep of his own to determine the room was clean once the door was shut.

"You cannot share this information with Cody yet," he said firmly. "When the time is right, I'd like to tell him myself. The other information I'll share with you both when Draven is finished with his questions."

Rex sat forward in his seat, clearly interested. "Okay. I'll bite."

"I'm being given a promotion tomorrow morning. I found out this afternoon." Kallus suspected Rex hadn't even looked at his datapad yet, and he was right. 

"Congratulations, Kal. When and where?" For someone who wasn't his actual father, Rex always managed to look as proud as one ought to be. It would have been embarrassing if he wasn't still so appreciative of having people who were proud of him.

Kallus smiled at him. "0945 hours, in ready room G50."

"So long as Cody's still doing well, I'll be there," Rex promised. 

"How is he?" he asked sincerely. "Any improvement?"

That was a topic Rex was eager to discuss. "He's still having some problems with eyesight, but his mind is starting to clear. They've been running fine motor skills tests on him all day so he's exhausted and running low on patience." Rex ran a hand over his bald head and sighed.

Kallus hesitated a second before leaning forward and resting a hand on the old clone's shoulder. "It's been a rough day for you?" he guessed.

"We've been arguing. I guess that's to be expected given how things ended and what he's been doing. He's frustrated with the doctors, he doesn't have access to you when he wants to see you." Rex leaned into the touch on his shoulder and the younger-looking man gave it a squeeze, hoping to provide comfort. "You never said anything, or that you two were so close."

It was a conversation that was inevitable. A few of his superiors in Intelligence had coached him when he'd been commissioned on what to do if Rex found out about Director Cody, and if he discovered how close Kallus was to him. Colonel Bandholz had pulled him aside for a few minutes between interrogations to brief him on this again, just in case, and he was glad she'd taken the time to do so. The stern woman was a good match for him as a direct superior officer: she had pulled him out of as many emotional slumps as anyone else he knew had, could read him pretty damn well, and knew all of his tells that identified an oncoming drinking binge.

"You must understand that when I was commissioned as an officer I was thoroughly instructed in what I could and could not mention to other people regarded matters of Alliance Intelligence. Given that COMPNOR and its divisions had worked so hard to keep his identity a secret, General Draven decided to keep the fact that I had divulged that information to a very small number of people."

Rex looked at him like he suspected bullshit. Kallus ran a hand through his hair and let the other hand slide off Rex's shoulders. "Not letting anyone know how much I truly know makes me a smaller political target at Council meetings, among other reasons I don't think I'm allowed to tell you, Rex. Intelligence's first job is to keep the rebellion and its people alive by any means necessary. You know that.

"I am sorry I couldn't tell you," Kallus apologized, looking him in the eye, voice sincere.

Any willpower to fight over it drained out of Rex. He didn't seem to have the energy in him. "Apology accepted," he said, and stood. Kallus followed suit. 

"I suppose we should go back to waiting outside the door," Kallus suggested. 

They stood, and stepped out of the consultation room as Draven was exiting Commander Cody's recovery room. The general sized them both up, and stood to let Rex pass, but stopped Kallus with a hand on his chest and gently guided him back into the consultation room. In his other hand was a portable sound barrier, and he activated once the door had been shut. Kallus raised an eyebrow at him.

"He is considering cooperating with us, since he'll be remaining with us indefinitely," Draven said. "That said, I believe it wise to continue to treat him with caution."

That was a smart idea. Kallus nodded. "I agree. I came down to give Rex the time and place for tomorrow and to let him know not to tell Cody." He wasn't sure if he should tell Draven that he planned to tell them about the other thing.

"Really?" Draven said dryly, folding his arms over his chest and arching an eyebrow. "That's all you intended to tell either of them? Given they already know of your romantic involvement with Captain Rau thanks to the loudmouth nursing staff I would guess you were here to at least tell Captain Rex of your engagement."

Kallus shifted his weight slightly between his feet. "Perhaps I was," he admitted cautiously. "I was going to play that part by ear."

Draven stared him down for a moment. "Remind me, captain, exactly how close were you and Commander Cody when you were ISB?"

"He was like a surrogate father to me, sir. He worked closely with all of his agents to keep us in line, and I had a few missions go terribly wrong early in my career. If the senior agents hadn't pulled me through I would have spent the rest of my life like I spent those first couple of weeks on Yavin IV." Kallus's voice was soft, and serious, his eyes focused on General Draven's face. Everything he'd told Draven during his debriefing had been true.

"When I came back from Onderon I was debriefed, treated for my physical injuries, sent for a psych eval - and treated for that - and then sent off to assist in another planetary crisis where things went awry. Then ISB agents currently not assigned an active caseload were called in to assist with the genocide on Lasan. Everyone involved in that had to go through counseling or reprogramming to make sure they would not defect or deviate from the story Director Isard wanted told to the public, should the news of the massacre ever break. It never did. COMPNOR kept a tight leash on the media."

At some point, he must have looked away, must have zoned out, because the touch of Draven's hand on his arm startled him and Kallus was surprised to see the soothing blue and green colors of the sickbay walls and not the harsh grays and stark whites that had made up the interior walls of COMPNOR's offices. He'd not quite reached his twenty-fifth birthday when all that happened. 

Draven steered him onto the couch-like piece of furniture and sat next to him. The man didn't released his arm - Kallus was somewhat grateful for the contact, he supposed, it was at least somewhat grounding - and gave him a moment to gather himself before asking his next question. "How did Cody fit into all of that?"

Kallus clasped his hands in front of himself and fidgeted with the right on his right index finger as he considered how best to phrase his answer. "Due to the nature of our work, those of us who were orphans, disowned, or didn't come from strong, loyalist families were considered to be especially vulnerable without someone to guide us and make sure we didn't go astray. He would check in on us, he was our phone call home if something went wrong in the field, or on birthdays or holidays. Too many lost missions in a row were an automatic counseling session with the Director - I suspect so he could see if we needed reprogramming."

He stopped talking as a shiver went down his spine. There were only two times he'd ever had to visit that division of the ISB and he never wanted to go back. "But on important occasions when there was no one else to care, he would be there. It was insidious, perhaps, but it did make us all feel valued. The Director never missed an important event: he had support staff tracking us to make sure of it. When I was promoted to Executive Agent by my field supervisor, he made time to call and congratulate me. To his own people, I can honestly say that it seemed like he was a fair leader and a good man."

Draven slowly nodded his head. "He said more or less the same thing when I questioned him, though he claims he couldn’t remember his motivation for acting fatherly to his own people. When I bring you up, however, his eyes go a little softer, his voice changes a little. I don't know why, but he's fond of you, and he's asking me to let him meet Rau again.

"Apparently," Draven raised an eyebrow, quirked up the corner of his mouth, "your marriage is obviously inevitable, and Rau ought to be asking for his hand before he proposes to you, as he knows you best."

"I've already told him he can't adopt me unless he renounces his evil ways and joins us. Conflict of interest on my part otherwise." Kallus shook his head. "He was friends with my parents for those few short years between the end of the war and when I went into Royal Imperial."

"He did mention that." Hesitation appeared on the general's face. Kallus saw it, narrowed his eyes at it in suspicion. If Draven was about to suggest that he allow Cody and Rex to adopt him he was going to be unpleasantly surprised by the younger officer's reaction.

Draven exhaled slowly, looking so much older than he was. Carrying the burden of the fraying knot that held the Alliance together was visibly wearing on him, especially with this mess that needed dealt with. "Cody is still insisting he issued no orders for your parents to be informed of anything: he wanted to hold off either way for another month, hoping to get you back."

That was interesting. "If he's being honest with us, then either Thrawn, Pryce, or Yularen did it behind his back."

"We'll continue to monitor the situation. I'm not sure I'll allow him to see your future husband anytime soon, so if you wish to give him the good news, go ahead." Draven stood and held out his hand. Kallus took it. "And congratulations. I'll see you in the morning, Captain."

"Thank you, sir," he said, and followed Draven out of the room. They went their separate ways in the corridor, Draven back to the turbolifts and Kallus across the hall to Cody's room. He knocked and entered. Cody did look sour, and seemed to be refusing to speak to Rex, though he cheered up slightly as he saw Kallus enter out of uniform.

He looked Cody over, doing his own quick assessment of the man. He'd clearly been able to hold down more in the way of food and drink: today's dinner tray appeared to have been mostly consumed and he'd been moved onto solids. That was good. Color was back in his face now, and the man's eyes weren't as sunken in. Someone had helped him to remove the stubble from his face: probably Rex and a depilatory cream.

Satisfied that he was improving, Kallus approached the bed. He'd come down here unarmed, so he didn't need to worry about disarming himself to get close to the man. "I hear you've been threatening Fenn from your bed," he said in lieu of a greeting, giving Cody a small, fond smile. "He's listed as my next of kin. Can legally give himself permission if he so chooses."

Rex cackled at Cody's sudden scowl. "I don't have to like it if he does."

"You don’t have to, but you might want to get used to the idea," Kallus said casually, sitting on the edge of the bed with a cocky smirk, "because that's exactly what he did this afternoon. We're not announcing it to anyone but family, but we're taking what I'm told are the 'proper steps' for a betrothal to someone outside his clan."

For a moment the room was completely silent as the two clones processed it. "Are you karking serious?" Cody demanded quietly.

"It's about damn time!" Rex exclaimed simultaneously. They looked at each other, huffed in a manner that was either amusement or annoyance, and looked over at Kallus.

He chuckled, entertained by the reaction. "I'm completely serious. We discussed it at length earlier today and I agreed to it."

Cody was silent for a moment. "Completely traditional?"

Kallus nodded. "As far as I'm aware."

There was a longer silence, and then the man grunted his approval, and that was that. They spoke about other, neutral topics after that until Cody could barely keep his eyes open, and then Kallus said goodnight to them both.

His comlink went off as soon as Kallus left sickbay, and he pressed the button to answer. "Are you on your way back, Kent?" Fenn asked.

"Just now, in fact," he said, excitement pooling in his stomach. It was time then. They'd worked out a rough plan for the evening over dinner, and Fenn said he figure out the rest when Kallus was on his way up.

"Find a quiet private place where I can give you instructions," he ordered. The leer in his voice was especially attractive. "I don't want anybody overhearing."

There was a darkened ready room up ahead. Kallus ducked into it, and made sure all recording devices in it were turned off. "Go ahead," he said, anxious to hear what his betrothed was going to ask of him. 

"I'll likely still be in the refresher when you return," Fenn responded in a low voice. "After you enter the room and lock the door behind you, strip completely. I'll put us on DND status in a moment. Once you're naked, prepare yourself and insert the plug I'm laying out for you now. It will stay inside you the entire time or you'll be punished."

A soft moan was his answer to Fenn. The plugs they had were both divine, and he wondered which one Fenn had picked to accommodate his request to be filled while he took his lover. "After that, you will kneel on the pillow next to the bed with your hands on your knees and wait for me to come and use you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he breathed. "I'll be there in less than five minutes."

"Hurry. If you're not ready before I am you won't be cumming tonight," Fenn teased, and disconnected.

Kallus swore at him even though Fenn couldn't hear it and left the room, making for the turbolift. He made it back to their quarters in under three minutes and took a deep breath. This was both different and not different from normal: Fenn was still in charge, still calling the shots, but he was giving something to Kallus that could lead to an occasional change of roles in the future.

It took him two attempts to put in the correct code, but Kallus managed to get inside and lock the door behind him. Fenn was still in the shower, and Kallus forced himself to calm down and do as he'd been instructed. By the time his lover came back out, he wanted to be picture-perfect for him.

Everything he needed to prepare for tonight had been left on the bunk for him. He removed his clothes and sank to his knees on the pillow Fenn had put on the floor and reached for the lube. Both it and the plug were on the edge of the bunk, in easy reach of the pillow: he was clearly meant to prepare himself on his knees then. Kallus worked himself open quickly. It didn't take much work at all anymore; usually, all he had to do to Fenn was spread lube over his cock and Kallus was ready. 

When he knew he was ready, he applied more lube to the somewhat thick toy - the one Fenn had first used on him in the cockpit of the yacht on their way back from Denon - and pushed up on it until it was fully seated inside him. The stretch was just right, and he didn't bother to suppress the soft moan. He put the lube back on the bunk, and rested his hands over his knees. This was what Fenn had wanted from him, and Kallus was happy to give it to him.

Fenn didn't take long in the refresher - he never did, unless Kallus was in there with him - and Kallus looked at his feet when he stopped to the side of him. "Bend forward," Fenn said. "Ass in the air. Show me the plug."

Compliance was easy: he knew exactly how to pose for Fenn to get the best reaction from him. The appreciative noise for the view he provided made Kallus smirk into the deck. Fenn's hands wandered over his backside for a moment, appreciative and indulgent as he teased Kallus with the plug. 

"Kneel again," he ordered when he stepped away to sit on the edge of the bunk. 

Kallus obeyed, falling back into the position he'd been ordered to assume. Fenn was quiet for a moment and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. "Rules for tonight," he finally began after a moment. Kallus glanced over and saw his fingers tapping on a pale knee. The older man was nervous again. "You're still to address me as 'Sir,' you may not touch yourself or finish without permission, you are to behave respectfully and do as you're told, and I want you to keep the plug inside you. If you break a rule tonight, we will stop and I will take you over my knee for a light spanking."

Spanking? Kallus looked up, surprised. Fenn had a mischievous look on his face, and he relaxed a little. "Nothing like Denon, Kent, I promise."

He hesitated, but nodded. They'd discussed bringing this back in off and on, so long as the strikes weren't anywhere near that awful. Fenn knew what he was doing, and was willing to trust him on it. It wasn't as though Kallus couldn't put a halt to it now if he needed to. "Good. Now. Come kneel before me, dear heart. I've been dying to feel your mouth on me again since last night."

"Yes, Sir," he breathed, and licked his lips. Kallus moved into position and rested his hands on Fenn's parted thighs. Likely from nerves, the older man wasn't hard yet. It was an easy enough fix. Starting at his knees, he kissed his way up and down the inside of his thighs caressing the top and outside with his palms. Fenn relaxed a little at a time, as though fighting to keep the tension. 

Aware his future husband wasn't going to be able to give himself up to this unless he relaxed completely, Kallus switched to alternating between kissing and biting at his thighs to distract him. A strong hand tangled in his hair after a bite that was a little too hard and gave it a rough tug, tilting his head up to look Fenn in the eyes. 

"Watch it," he ordered.

"Sorry, Sir," he said apologetically, and licked his lips.

Fenn shivered, and released his hair. "Get on with it." Kallus smirked at him, nodded, and bent his head. Fenn hadn't said exactly how to get on with it. He analyzed the problem to determine how best to approach it. While his previous efforts had done some good, they certainly hadn't gotten his lover fully hard. Perhaps a continued unconventional approach would be best.

Yes. That would be the way to handle this, so to speak.

Kallus gently pressed on Fenn's abused thighs to part them further, then wrapped a hand around his cock to get it out of his way, and leaned forward to lick a wet stripe up over the seam of his balls. His tongue traced the line up his cock. Kallus pulled the foreskin back and swiped his tongue over the frenulum to tease it with light little flicks and kisses. A soft hiss of pleasure from Fenn was encouraging. Kallus brought the tip to his mouth and lazily lapped at it.

The hand was back in his hair, this time to urge him on, as though he needed to be encouraged to take more of Fenn's cock into his mouth. He'd been greedy for it since their first time together, had gone out of his way, risked his reputation, his exemplary record, formal discipline, and time in a jail cell, to get his mouth on this dick. Kallus had done all of that more than once. He hardly needed the added motivation, though he relented and took the tip into his mouth, sucking on it gently. The rest of it he ran his hand over, tracing the length of it with his fingertips. 

Inventive invectives from his lover's mouth egged him on. Kallus used his other hand to play with Fenn's balls, intent on taking him apart. If his lover was going to make the effort to push him so far, he was going to give it everything he had. He pulled off Fenn's cock to breathe, and then took him all the way into his throat, making sure to tease him with a light scrape of his teeth as he slowly swallowed Fenn down.

The hand in his hair tightened to the point of pain and he moaned around Fenn, prompting another round of swearing. He looked up, seeking out his fiancé’s eyes. Fenn was panting, eyes closed, his other hand white-knuckled in the bed sheets. Kallus released his balls and stretched his hand out to rest over Fenn's. Breathing through his nose, he swallowed around him again, trying to get his attention. Fenn opened his eyes and looked down at him. Aware how he looked - eyes water, mouth wide and drooling slightly, breathing hard through his nose - Kallus whimpered slightly.

Kallus had done his duty in getting the captain hard: had gone above and beyond his duty, in fact. One wrong move and Fenn was going to blow his load. His pupils were blown and he was making the face Kallus had come to associate with his orgasms. Wondering if Fenn would follow through on his threat to "lightly spank" him, he considered his options: how much would it take to push Fenn far enough to give him an order he could easily disobey? A spanking would be enough to take the edge off for his lover, and it would give Fenn more of a feeling of control so he could relax. It probably wouldn't take much. Kallus pressed his tongue along the underside of Fenn's cock and sucked lightly to hear the soft gasp Fenn would give him for it.

"Damn it, Kent, _that's enough. Stop it_ ," Fenn hissed at him, struggling for self-control. He tugged at the younger man's hair, pulling him back off of his cock. Kallus whined at the loss, and watched Fenn's eyes lock onto the strand of fluid - it tasted more like precum than saliva to Kallus - that connected them as his cock popped free of his mouth. 

He'd been hoping to get more of a taste than that, and licked his lips just to be an ass about it. Fenn's jaw tightened at the sight. "Yes, Sir," he responded with a wicked smirk and lowered his eyes to look at what he wanted instead. It was hard now, and Kallus still had his fingers around the base. 

A firm squeeze made Fenn moan, and he pulled Kallus's hands away from him. "Hands behind your back." The rebuke was given sharply - Kallus hadn't technically done anything wrong - because Fenn was close.

"I told you to stop," he panted, glaring down at his lover, "and you insisted on continuing to stimulate me. Do you deny it?"

"No, Sir," he responded. The plug was slipping a little. As discreetly as he could, he used a finger to push it back in and shivered a little from the stimulation. Did that count as touching himself without permission?

Fenn's lips pressed into a tight line of disapproval that matched his scolding tone. "And now you're fucking yourself with the plug? You've been such an impatient, disobedient, slut this week, my love. Lie down over my lap. It's time to take a firmer hand in disciplining you."

A shiver went right through him at the words. Kallus rose and laid himself across Fenn's lap. He could feel that thick cock digging into his side, and his own erection pressing into the soft skin of Fenn's thighs. Large, calloused hands stroked over his backside, warming up the skin there. Fenn gripped the flared base of the toy, pulled it out and glided it back in. Kallus pushed back against it, shameless in seeking his pleasure, only to find a firm hand on the small of his back stopping him from moving. 

"I don't think so, Kent. This is not for your pleasure: I've clearly been neglectful in disciplining you to keep you in line. You will receive ten smacks, dear heart," Fenn informed him, tone slightly cold as he continued to fuck him with the plug. "Five for disobeying an order, and five for touching yourself. You know those are against the rules."

He settled the plug back into place, and the hand on the small of his back moved to gently twist Kallus head to look up at him. "You will count the blows, and you will thank me after each one for the privilege." Fenn smirked at him and the younger man whimpered at the cruelty in the expression. "You need the discipline, my love. Failure to comply will result in an extra five spankings."

"Yes, Sir," Kallus said shakily. That smirk was positively evil and it did wonderful things for his libido.

"Good." The first blow came immediately, unexpectedly, landing on his right cheek. It made him jump and try to pull away out of reflex. The hand was on the small of his back again to hold him still. "It's all right. You can take this for me. What do you need to do next?"

Kallus relaxed a little after a moment, grateful this wasn't a set up for him to fail. He took a deep breath, let the smarting pain fade a little. "One," he counted. There was something else. Fenn waited patiently as he cheeks burned red with embarrassment, and he forced himself to add, "Thank you, Sir."

There was pride in his lover's voice as his hand rubbed over the area he'd just hit. "Very good, Kent. You took that well. Let's try it again." Another blow hit, this time stinging the other side. 

A gasp escaped, but he was prepared to deal with it that time. It didn't make counting it or thanking Fenn any less embarrassing the second time. Neither did the third time, or the fourth time. By the sixth time, however, he couldn't help but notice that both his cock and Fenn's were leaking precum and he was harder than he'd ever been from this before. 

By the time he'd suffered through all ten blows, he was engaged in a futile attempt to grind off on his lover's lap. Fenn let him up and pulled him into a heated kiss. "I'd like to reward you for taking your punishment so well," he murmured against his lips, reaching down to stroke Kallus's cock. "I had originally intended to suck you off first, but I think I'll let you prepare me now instead."

"Whatever pleases you, Sir," he breathed against Fenn's lips, hands behind his back again. His hips pushed forward into the hand stroking him. Once he was inside Fenn he wasn't going to be able to last long. The thought of it was nearly enough to make him spill into Fenn's hand.

"Grab the lube," Fenn ordered quietly. "I need you inside me."

Kallus swore under his breath and turned to grab the bottle. "Hands and knees?" he suggested quietly. It was the easiest position for stretching and he badly did not want to hurt Fenn. Fenn considered it, then nodded. He gave Kallus a softer kiss, and then turned and moved into position. 

"I'd prefer it if you didn't use your mouth this time," he added after a moment, glancing over his shoulder. 

Frankly, it was enough for him that he was being allowed to do this. They could broach the topic of rimming later. "Yes, Sir," he breathed, and reached up to reverently stroke his hands over his fiancé’s magnificent buttocks. Rather than getting right to business, Kallus took his time touching his back and thighs as well, working to massage away any tension and build up anticipation and a feeling of pleasure. 

When Fenn was moving with him, arching into his touch and letting out the occasional moan over it, he tentatively brushed his thumb over the puckered hole. Fenn gasped, but didn't tense, so he massaged the skin around it and opened the lube with the other hand. Careful not to make a mess, he got a drop of it onto his thumb, and worked it over Fenn's entrance, until it was glistening and he was starting to relaxing a little. 

Kallus moved his thumb lower, down to tease and massage the perineum for a moment. While Fenn was distracted by the pleasure from that he took the bottle and squeezed a small amount of it over the slightly relaxed opening. A soft hiss from Fenn about the coldness of the lube and Kallus's tactics made him chuckle, but his middle finger was already circling it to warm up the cooled skin. He pulled at the opening with his other hand to help, and carefully pressed in with his fingertip. 

Fenn stiffened for a moment, and then seemed to remember that he needed to relax. Taking pity on him, Kallus reached around to tease his cock with his fingertips, hoping the more pleasurable sensation would help to distract him. It did its job: he was able to sink his finger into the first knuckle before Fenn told him to stop there. He stilled his finger but kept his hand moving in long, slow strokes that spread the older man's precum over his shaft. 

"It's all right," Fenn said after a moment. Kallus leaned forward and kissed the small of his back as he moved his finger forward slightly, then back out a little. A slight shiver rewarded his efforts. He wiggled his finger in a little farther, took in the little gasp Fenn made, and then withdrew to add more lube. The next time they did this he'd have to get a [lubrication syringe](http://amzn.to/2gWOnGT) from medical to make it easier, and wished he'd had the presence of mind to pick one up while he was down there.

For now, Kallus picked up the lube with one hand and used the other to spread Fenn open. "It's going to feel cold again," he warned, and repeated the trick of squeezing more lube directly into him. Fenn swore at him, so Kallus opted to distract him by squeezing lube into his palm and wrapping it around his lover's cock at the exact moment he pressed his middle finger back into him. 

The sound Fenn made went right to his cock - something like a moan came out of him - and Kallus swore softly. This time his finger sank in all the way. Fenn tightened around him and he slowed down the hand on his cock and gave him a moment to focus on the sensation of the finger inside him and to relax around it. "You took the whole finger," he murmured encouragingly. 

"Oh," Fenn breathed, as though he couldn't believe that was even possible. "It feels massive. I - Kent, you can move it, I think." 

He did, though slowly at first, and with a careful eye on his lover's reactions. It took him nearly an hour to work Fenn up to two fingers, though the process sped up considerably from there. When - at last! - he was positive his fiancé was ready to take him, Fenn turned around on trembling legs and kissed him hard. A firm hand on his chest pressed him to lie down on his back against the pillows. 

Kallus raised an eyebrow at him, but obeyed the silent order. Fenn knelt between his legs and mouthed at his cock, fingers fumbling for the plug still inside him - he'd forgotten about it, completely focused on Fenn as he was - and twisted it cruelly. He swore, hips bucking up into Fenn's mouth, until pressure on his hips pinned him to the bunk. Mercilessly, that wicked tongue teased at the head of his cock, dipping into the leaking slit while he was fucked with the forgotten toy. Fenn wound him back up, using every little trick and sensitive spot of Kallus's against him to drive him right to the edge before suddenly pulling away.

Panting, annoyed, Kallus tried to sit up to chase him as Fenn pulled away only for his lover to cock an eyebrow at him. "Stay where you are or you will not be finishing until morning," he ordered firmly.

Letting out a frustrated groan, he fell back against the pillows and watched Fenn uncap the lube one more. A sigh of relief followed when a liberal amount of the silicone lubricant was smoothed over his cock, and Fenn straddled him. Kallus's muscles tensed. It was time.

His hands reached out and stroked down Fenn's sides. Long, calloused fingers reached back and grabbed Kallus's shaft, guiding it to where it belonged. The head of it pressed in, and the older man gasped. "Fuck, _Kent_!" Fenn's hands grasped at his: Kallus twined their fingers together to give him something to brace against if he needed to. 

"Take your time, darling, don't rush it," he encouraged quietly. Getting passed the head had been the worst part for him the first few times, and it had been that way with every partner he'd had the pleasure of taking for the first time. 

"So big," Fenn panted, continuing his slow press downward. He cried out once as the head pressed inside, hands squeezing Kallus's tightly. 

His attention was torn between wanting to focus on the sensation assaulting his dick and how damn good Fenn looked sinking down onto him one agonizing centimeter at a time. The Mandalorian's head was thrown back, blue eyes tightly shut as he focused on not hurting himself. His red hair was matted down with sweat, and a stray drop of it slid down his pale throat. There was definitely a small patch of gray coming in on his beard, Kallus noticed distantly. 

The thought was driven from his mind as Fenn sank fully onto him and finally opened his eyes to give him a cocky smirk. He let go of one of Kallus's hands, leaned back, and nudged the toy inside him. Kallus moaned, hips bucking slightly. Whatever Fenn said in Mando'a he didn't catch, didn't care. His free hand went to his own balls, firmly pulling them down and back so he didn't embarrass himself.

"You are such a prick," he hissed. He grabbed Fenn's hand so he couldn't do anything else particularly malicious with it. 

The smirk turned into a grin. "If I hadn't just gotten comfortable I'd spank you for that," Fenn said, sounding near breathless. He shifted his hips on Kallus, testing the motion, and his mouth fell open.

"Good thing you're comfortable then, Sir," Kallus retorted. There was no heat in it. He was focused entirely on Fenn and their joining now. It was incredibly difficult not to move on his own: they'd discussed this too. His job right now was to let Fenn test his own boundaries get used to the sensation.

Fenn moaned quietly, found a slow rhythm, and reached down to tangle a hand in Kallus's hair. "You look perfect like this too," he panted. "What a handsome fucktoy you are for me, even if you've gotten a little mouthy."

Kallus shivered, whimpered at his choice of words. Fenn was getting back into his role now that he was adjusting, and it was easy to follow suit. "Please, Sir, may I touch you." He had a free hand and needed something to do with it. 

"Not yet," Fenn breathed, leaning forward a little more. It was a shallower angle, but it seemed to be better for him. His eyes slid shut and he let out a breathy moan. "You can move your hips."

More than happy to oblige, Kallus took over for him, setting a slow pace. Once he'd adjusted to it, Fenn let him grip his hips and rearrange them both. Kallus shifted his legs to raise his knees somewhat to get leverage for thrusting, and pulled Fenn down so that he was leaning forward enough that they could kiss. It mimicked their usual position, but this time Kallus was the one buried balls deep. He gripped Fenn's ass firmly, and lifted his hips. 

The thrust in was long and slow, and he took his time pulling back. Fenn's eyes closed and he breathed out Kallus's name. "Good?" he murmured, checking in.

"If you don't do that again right now I'll be very put out with you," Fenn whispered. His tone was nearly reverent. "Kent, _now_."

"Yes, Sir," he whispered, and did it again. His lips found Fenn's and he drew him into a deep kiss as he established their slow rhythm again. This moment was one he wanted to savor. Between the sensation of Fenn on his cock and the plug inside him moving against his prostate as he moved, he was dangerously on the edge as it was. 

It was all he could do to focus on Fenn instead of himself. They moved together at an easy pace, and the pressing need to finish eased off a little. He wrapped a hand around Fenn when the pace built up and he knew that he was starting to approach the point of no return. Fenn's face was buried in his neck, grunts and moans muffled by Kallus's skin and his own beard.

"I can't hold off," Fenn gasped the fourth time Kallus's thumb pressed against his frenulum. 

Hell. "Don't," Kallus begged him. "Let me see you cum with me inside you. Please, I want to see it."

Fenn swore again, straightened up a little, and picked up the pace. Kallus watched raptly, and the sight of Fenn cumming was enough to push him over the edge. He gripped Fenn's hips tightly with both hands, and pulled him down so that Kallus was fully seated inside his lover and ground up into him. Fenn cried out sharply, took over stroking himself, and threw his back as he finished spattering Kallus's chest with his release. 

Kallus's hips relaxed as he finished emptying himself inside Fenn. He caught Fenn as he leaned forward against him, stroked his hands over the trembling man's back. "You okay?" he asked softly.

Fenn nodded his head, but didn't seem inclined to move beyond that. "I see why you enjoy it so much," he mumbled. Kallus was pretty sure that's what he mumbled, at least. "But all I want to do now is sleep for a week or eat all the food in the mess hall."

"That's normal, yeah," Kallus chuckled as he rubbed Fenn's back. "You really need to shower, Fenn, or we're going to end up stuck together and ship's gossip will have even more to say about us when the nurses start talking."

He felt the face that Fenn made against his collarbone. "You expect me to walk after that?"

"I was very gentle with you."

For a man who needed to sleep for a week it sure was interesting that Fenn so quickly found the energy to lift his head and glare at Kallus. Kallus kissed his forehead. "Need a minute?"

"You're such a brat in bed," Fenn complained, and buried his head in Kallus's neck again to kiss it. 

"You wouldn't have me any other way, my love," Kallus pointed out and held him tightly.

Fenn made a noise that usually indicated he was quite pleased with himself. "I would not have you any other way than how you are, even if that means you’re a bratty, cocky, sticky mess of a man who currently sounds far too smug for his own good."

Kallus snorted and loosened his grip as he felt his softened cock slide out of Fenn. As much as he wanted to cuddle, it was starting to get uncomfortable and he really didn't want to end up glued to his future husband. "Whose fault is that, Fenn?" he asked. 

"Entirely mine," the Mandalorian said smugly, rolling off of Kallus and onto his side with a grimace as he finally took in the mess. "I suppose we should shower. I feel like a waterfall is leaking out of me."

"It's not quite that bad," he assured him with a grin, as he helped the older man to his feet on shaking legs. "Come on. We have an early day. Let's get the clean up over with."  
\---

As far as military ceremonies went, promotion ceremonies tended to be pretty short and painless in Kallus's experience. This one was no different. There was a short speech about why he was being promoted and his qualities as an officer and a man given by Colonel Vandyke, and another about the history of the office into which he was about to be sworn by some major whose name Kallus didn't catch that he didn't recognize. Colonel Bandholz removed his old rank insignia, and Draven put the new one on, gave him the oath of office again, and they were done with it.

It wasn't until everyone went back to duty afterward that he got the answers to his questions about why he'd been promoted so quickly.

Draven lured him into his office after the newly promoted major had kissed his betrothed goodbye for the day and everyone else had gone off to do their own tasks under the pretense of discussing his new responsibilities. "I have a mission for you," he announced, gesturing to the comfortable chair. Kallus took the offered seat, curious to hear what this was about. If he'd had been promoted solely to take a mission, it had to be something particularly interesting. "It's risky, but you're the officer most familiar with this particular problem."

"The slavers," Kallus guessed with a resigned sigh. 

"The slavers," Draven confirmed. His tone was grave. "The information we got out of the pirates and the hard drive you recovered has been helpful. You'll be going undercover to see if you can suss out one of their contacts. You can take one other person with you. All of the mission details are on this datapad, including my suggestions for who that second person ought to be: I will have to approve their absence from their duties here. The login is your usual information. Understand that this cannot be spoken of to anybody else: even to Rau."

Kallus frowned. His absence was going to have to be explained somehow, and Fenn was going to be pissed. Vanishing on a mission without a word the day after a proposal didn't seem like a great to start an engagement. "When do I leave, and how long will I be done?" he asked.

"0300 hours, and the duration of the mission depends on you." The general gestured to the datapad. Feeling apprehensive, he input the correct codes and read over the files with a frown that only grew as he reached the end of the information. Draven let him read, attending his own duties as he digested the information given to him. There were a lot of people he would want at his side for a mission like this, but who did he _need_? 

Kallus leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and considered his options. He could do it alone. It technically didn't violate any Alliance protocols, though Intelligence preferred two officers went together in a situation like this. There was also the option to take a droid and leave it to watch the ship, but Alliance droids tended to get into an unusual amount of trouble. Cassian Andor was a very capable man, handy in a fight, not at all recognizable, but he was a dirty enabler and Kallus suspected the two of them might leave a trail of traceable bodies behind them. The same was true for most of Intelligence. Not them, then. Kallus would prefer to take Zeb, but the mission parameters made taking a non-human impossible. Fenn was needed here, he was still mad at Kanan, Rex was too recognizable, Sabine too trigger happy. 

Ezra, however, now there was a possibility. They worked well together, he was small, average looking, easily disguised, and his Jedi powers were extremely useful.

"I want Bridger," he decided, and leaned forward to look his general in the eye, "and I want to be able to tell my fiancé I am leaving."

Draven pursed his lips. "I'll allow you Ezra Bridger, but I'm sorry: you may not tell Rau anything. After you've left I will speak to him, as well as to Bridger's guardians."

Kallus sighed. "Yes, sir." If the man had made up his mind on something there would be no convincing him otherwise.

He waited as Draven had Ezra brought down, briefed via the datapad, and then sent them off to one of Intelligence's smaller briefing rooms so Kallus could fill Ezra in on the rest of the details. Kallus already had a few ideas formed by then about how he wanted to run the operation. It took them little time to hammer out an outline for the morning.

By 0245 hours, he would have Fenn in a deep sleep, and he would be ready to make for the hangar bay.

If he was lucky, he would be returning to see his fiancé again soon. If he wasn't, he could only hope that Fenn would understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you came here looking for an apology about the ominous ending after all that fluff, I gotta say: I feel like we know each other better by now. You know I'm utterly unrepentant. You got 20k+ words of fluff, my friend. After five chapters you should have known something that was either ominous or painful was waiting for you at the bottom.  
> \---------  
> 1: Remembrance for the Dead: IT'S BACK! But this time I'm giving you the pronunciation: Nee soo-COO-yee, gar keer-AH-deesh. Nee par-TIE-lee, gar dah-rah-SOOM.  
> 2: Zeb's the strongest being on the ship. Go Zeb!  
> 3: _Sweetheart._ If you picture him saying it like [Captain Kirk](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c4/bd/1f/c4bd1f3435982b25967c4872aa29df40.jpg) pretending to be a mobster in _A Piece of the Action_ , that line becomes 100 times more hilarious and 100 times less sexy. Unfortunately I could find no clips of where he calls Scotty "shweetheart" on YouTube so no link for you.  
> 4: [Go here.](http://www.swtor-rp.com/forum/m/1639455/viewthread/1792812-mandalorians-culture-information) Ctrl+F. Dar'Manda. I'm not copy/pasting. #lazywriter  
> 5: _Hutt fucker_ <\- new favorite insult, to be honest. Fucking hutts is gross!  
> 6: _I will have no other but you. Become one with me, dear heart?_ So let me draw your attention to this endnote from last chapter:  
>   
>  Mhi solus tome (We are one when together),  
> Mhi solus dar'tome (We are one when parted).  
> I chose to phrase Fenn's proposal as "Become one with me" because of the first two lines of the Mandalorian marriage vow. They are becoming one, joining two lives together. It made more sense to me for such a traditional Mando'ad than, "Marry me."


End file.
